What are Food Forests?
The concept of “food forests” is a way of combining agriculture and forestry in an urban environment to create edible landscapes. Food forests often include multi-layered systems of edible trees, shrubs, and groundcover plants. Through ecosystem services —such as food production, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration— they offer multiple benefits to the community, from shade and nourishment to recreation and education.
By mimicking how plants grow naturally on multiple layers within a forest, food forests consist of a canopy with fruit and nut trees, shrubs and bushes which bear fruit, a layer including herbs and vegetables, and ground-hugging plants, such as vines and roots. In addition to being less maintenance-heavy than crops, these food forests boost biodiversity, contribute to food security, and help build more sustainable and resilient communities.
Food forests and urban gardens have been popping up in cities worldwide to tackle food availability and areas with limited access to healthy and fresh grown food. They require at least a one-acre size for full functionality. In Arizona a few food forests exist, and many smaller forest gardens and edible landscapes can be found in private yards.
Some Food Forests & Urban Gardens Sprouting up in Arizona
Epic Yard Farm is a food forest on a 3/4 acre residential property in Tempe, Arizona - a permaculture-inspired residential edible food forest that is experimenting and building a balanced ecosystem in their edible landscape.
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Bean Tree Farm is located near Tucson in a residential development nestled in 20-acres of lush Sonoran Desert food forest. The farm raises awareness that virtually all native Sonoran Desert trees and many large shrubs are legumes that fix nitrogen and shelter food and medicine plants.
Harris-Fletcher Enterprises is working on the Urban Forest Project, a housing community that provides sustainable low-income housing, reduces energy consumption by 25 to 50%, and provides green spaces replete with edible shrubs and trees that help mitigate the Tucson heat island effect.
Las Milpitas is a 6-acre community farm run by the Community Food Bank with a forest garden. The forest garden uses drip irrigation and is designed in rows of fruit trees like apricot and peach, as well as annual vegetables like eggplant and pepper.
Located in South Phoenix, Spaces is transforming a food desert to a food oasis through the coordination of a 10-acre incubator farm, family gardens, and an on-site farmers market.
Mesa Urban Garden is a community gathering space in the heart of Mesa’s downtown that focuses on sustainable urban living through gardening opportunities, education, and community involvement.
Additional Resources on Food Forests in Arizona:
If you’re creating a food forest or know of an urban garden in Arizona, we want to connect and feature your work! Send us an email at goodfoodfinder@localfirstaz.com.