The forests we know are often associated with their rich and pristine wilderness, biodiversity, and landscape. There are various trees, plants, and animals living vicariously through themselves. Forests are self-reliant. They exist and grow on their own without any human intervention - and they turn out to be very spectacular!

So, why don’t we grow our vegetables and fruits this way? Imagine if the forests we have are edible. Forest is a great and sustainable conceptual design that we can use to let nature produce trees and plants that can provide us with the food we eat. By emulating the forest ecosystem and patterns for food, we can democratize the growth of food and access to it. Most importantly, the food forest system can be easily installed in our backyard!

The food forest—or also known as forest garden—concept is not merely an abstract that has not been implemented. Many people all around the world have built their food forests. They cultivate diverse edible plants with mutually beneficial relationships. A food forest is designed in a multidimensional form. Some plants are grown up, some are down, and the rest are out. Hence, there are usually several layers in a forest garden design. In a nutshell, this is what food forest layers should look like*:

Overstory
The biggest and tallest tree absorbs the most sunlight. It is the canopy for other trees and plants. Common trees that are usually planted are walnuts, pecans, and chestnuts.
Understory
Medium-sized, smaller trees than the overstory that are usually composed of fruit trees such as persimmon and apples.
Shrub layer
Also commonly known as the bush layer, this layer is usually planted with productive shrubs such as blueberry, elderberry, and currant.
Herbaceous layer
As the name suggests, you can plant herbs like lavender, rosemary, and mint. The herbaceous layer is also commonly used to host perennial plants such as asparagus.
Root layer
Also called the vertical layer and rhizosphere, this layer is unique as it is essential for soil life creation and also it is the door and the bridge to get nutrition. The root layer can enable the path for water and air to perform their function to provide life in the soil.
Ground cover layer
This layer is composed of horizontal crops such as strawberries and sorrel. Initially, this layer might look weedy and will die every season. However, after around 5 years, cultivating perennial species in this layer can cease soil erosion, provide nutrition, and even be one of the most aesthetically-pleasing layers.
Vine layer
This is the most shade-tolerant crop that can adapt and use other layers to climb and get exposed to the sun. You can usually find grapes using overstory and understory trees as their trellis.

*The mentioned trees and plants are merely examples, its cultivation depends on the climate condition of each country

7 layers of food forest (illustration/Brook Artziniega on Pinterest)

Aside from these 7 layers, some also add the eighth layer - the mycelial layer (mushroom). It is essential to apply these layers when designing a food forest. This layering method is implemented to accommodate more plants and trees in the area while avoiding crop failure due to competition.

Ideally, food forests should be as organic as possible. To build a healthy ecosystem, we have to be patient as it takes years for nature to establish and take care of itself. However, that does not mean humans do not play role in the process. We still have to provide our forest gardens with sufficient food, water, and land to support their growth—otherwise, they will never grow.

But, why food forest? You might still wonder. According to the Permaculture Research Institute and Permaculture Apprentice, food forest brings numerous social and environmental benefits.

Forests are life

Almost one-third of the land available on Earth is covered with forest. Forests are not just filled with trees. They are home to more than half of the world’s land animals and plants. According to UNEP-WCMC, there are around 60,000 tree species, 80% amphibian species, 75% bird species, and 68% world’s mammal species harboring in the forests. In forests, life happens.

Let’s let mother nature take care of itself

Contrary to modern agriculture, food forests do not require a lot of human work. They let the real nature experts do their work. It doesn’t conform to the mainstream belief that humans should exploit, conquer, and fully control nature. Food forest works with nature, not against it. Food forest sees nature as the mother. It is called mother nature for the same reason why we call our mother, mother. It feeds us, provides us with abundant resources, and protects us during our life on earth.

Higher productivity, higher yield

With the layering method that has been mentioned previously, we can optimize the utilization of the land that we have. Every space counts and every part of the land will be filled with possible plants based on the layering approach. The density of the forest garden means that it will produce more yields. In addition to that, the variety of trees and crops planted in the food forest allows for a continuous food supply for the family.

Organic and natural compost and fertilizer

Food forests are self-mulching, mimicking what regular forests also do to retain moisture. The density of the forest garden also adds to the number of fallen leaves that will be the organic matter for the soil which will be broken down by insects as the decomposers. Hence, you will get your organic and natural compost and fertilizer without any hassle and for free.

A woman watering her diverse plants (photo/Kampus Production on Pexels)

Be more self-reliant through biodiversity

Every tree, plant, and crop prefers to be cultivated with other species. They grow better in a diverse population. Along the way, these trees and crops will interact and create a meaningful synergy that will help them be more productive and therefore, produces more yields. With their strong “bond”, mixing them will also be beneficial as they will go stronger—more resistant to disease and pests.

Produce your healthy food

Well, throughout the whole blog, it is self-evident that having a food forest will provide you with an abundant and continuous source of food. You can plant your food according to your liking. It is cheaper and healthier as you will be cooking for yourself.

Have your natural pest control

You need not pay and prepare for herbicide or pesticide. Forest gardens will get rid of pests naturally, using natural predators. You can attract predatory insects by providing a permanent home (your forest garden) and food resources (flowers rich in nectar) for them. Larger predators such as birds and crows are attracted to a healthy ecosystem and therefore they will contribute to your natural pest control.

All in all, a food forest requires very low maintenance. Just like a regular forest, a food forest is self-resilient and self-maintained. It requires humans only to supervise its growth and do a little work if it needs more space, water, or food. Letting nature work on its own is truly rewarding. It is our path to building food self-sufficiency and henceforth, a sustainable food resource for the future and everyone.

Want to design and build your food forest?

You can learn from one of our partners, Mother Jungle, who has organized a Food Forest Design course for Indonesian community leaders to develop a food forest in their community.

We also recommend you learn more about it from David Holmgren’s Holmgren Design, Permaculture Apprentice, Road to Reliance, and The Ecologist. Or… if you crave more, read the following book reference:

Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual by Bill Mollison
Permaculture: A Beginners Guide by Graham Burnett
How to Make a Forest Garden by Patrick Whitefield

Sustainable food for everyone: food forest!