Urban food forests
Thomas Malthus, remember him, he was the British dude who in 1798 postulated that food production on Planet Earth would at some point be eclipsed by the increase in the number of human people. Since population of humans increases geometrically and food production increases arithmetically, farmers would not be able to keep up.
Malthus, known as T.Mal in his church basketball league, focused on the fact that when societies were prospering, birth rates went up, especially among poor people who were the ones who suffered most from food shortages during hard times. Philosophers and folks inclined to debate poked holes in his logic, but this discussion will not enter that fray.
However, it is a fact that some folks have less access to enough food, but communities across our country have discovered in an innovative way to spread the food wealth by creating urban food forests.
Here’s a cool story. About four miles south of the center of Atlanta, Ruby and Willie Morgan operated a small family farm on 7.1 acres. They produced a variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries, and they were known locally for leaving surplus food by the roadside for passersby to take.
After their passing, the property lay abandoned until the Conservation Fund, the Atlanta Parks and Recreation Department and other partners came together in 2016 to create the Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill, currently the largest public food forest in the country.
The Morgans left behind pecan trees, muscadine and blackberry vines and other perennials that were included in the design for community garden beds, orchards of fruits and nuts, herb gardens with walking trails and gathering spots intermixed. There are sites for educational activities for kids, and area schools have conducted STEM-based programs on the grounds.
Until 2014, it was illegal to grow food on residential property in Atlanta. Since many of the city’s residents lived near or below the poverty line, the area was considered a food desert. Many kids who have visited the food forest saw food being grown for the first time.
More than a thousand volunteers have helped maintain the forest, and Carla Smith, Atlanta city alderman who advocated for the project, said, “It is a testament to the forest’s ability to build community… every time I go there, there’s a community who respects and appreciates the fresh healthy foods. There’s a mentality there that people know to take only what they need.”
In Asheville, North Carolina, two recent college graduates convinced city leaders in 1997 to consider creating an urban food forest. It would have been the first on the East Coast. The community supported the project, and the idea took off. The forest, now called the George Washington Carver Edible Park, contains kiwi, fig, elderberry, pecan, persimmon and pear trees among others, with a variety of berries planted along pathways.
The Sherrett Food Forest sits on just more than two-thirds of an acre on the Portland city limits. Visitors enter through an arch covered by grape vines with artichokes as sentinels on each side. A plethora of carefully interplanted vegetables, flowers, berries and herbs supply a community-supported agriculture program. The Jerusalem artichokes are popular in local restaurants.
The City of Seattle along with a local foundation have developed 1.75 acres of what will eventually be the seven-acre Beacon Food Forest. The project is in its seventh successful year.
Catherine Bukowski is an agro-ecologist who has visited and written about community food forests across the country. Her list includes 86 community food forests, and the list keeps growing.
“My hope is that the research will lead to best practices for future initiatives in this emerging trend in resilient communities,” she said. Her book The Community Food Forest Handbook points out how communities “can learn and experience what is possible when they collaborate on a shared vision for their community.”
Eureka Springs is not on her list yet.