What is Food Forest?
A food forest (also called forest garden or edible forest garden) is a perennial polyculture food production system designed to mimic the structure and function of natural woodland ecosystems. Unlike conventional agriculture, which relies on annual crops planted in rows, food forests integrate multiple species of edible and useful plants in vertical layers—from tall canopy trees down through shrubs, herbs, ground covers, root crops, and climbing vines. Once established, these systems require minimal maintenance while producing diverse yields of fruit, nuts, vegetables, herbs, and other resources.
The defining characteristic is intentional design that works with natural patterns: plants are chosen and positioned to support one another through functions like nitrogen fixation, pest suppression, soil building, and habitat creation. Food forests prioritize perennials over annuals, eliminating the need for yearly tilling and reducing labor, water, and external inputs.
Origins & Lineage
Food forests represent humanity’s oldest form of agriculture. Indigenous forest gardens have existed for millennia in tropical and subtropical regions—the home gardens of Kerala in South India (numbering over three million), the multi-story plantings of Southeast Asia, and the managed forests of Central America and Africa all predate written records. These systems sustained communities for generations by cultivating useful species within existing forest ecosystems.
In temperate climates, the modern food forest movement traces to several key figures. J. Russell Smith published Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture in 1929, advocating for perennial tree crops as a response to soil erosion caused by plow agriculture in the United States. Smith’s work inspired Japanese pioneer Toyohiko Kagawa, who developed forest farming methods in Japan during the 1930s.
The term “forest garden” was coined by Robert Hart (1913–2000), an English horticulturist who established a model forest garden at Wenlock Edge in Shropshire beginning in the early 1960s. Inspired by Kagawa’s work and seeking a low-maintenance way to care for his brother with disabilities, Hart developed a seven-layer system based on natural woodland structure. His book Forest Gardening (1991) documented this approach and became foundational for temperate-climate practitioners.
Bill Mollison and David Holmgren co-developed permaculture in the 1970s in Australia, incorporating forest gardens as a central design element. Mollison’s Permaculture One (1978) positioned food forests as an alternative to resource-intensive industrial agriculture. Geoff Lawton, who studied with Mollison in 1983, brought food forest concepts to wider audiences through teaching, consulting work across six continents, and viral documentation of ancient food forests in Morocco and Vietnam.
Academic researchers Martin Crawford (Agroforestry Research Trust, UK), Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier (Edible Forest Gardens, 2005), and Patrick Whitefield (How to Make a Forest Garden, 1996) expanded the knowledge base with experimental gardens, species databases, and practical design guides.
How It’s Practiced
A food forest typically incorporates seven horizontal and vertical layers, each serving distinct ecological functions:
- Canopy layer: Large fruit and nut trees (apples, walnuts, chestnuts)
- Understory layer: Smaller trees on dwarfing rootstock (dwarf pears, hazelnuts)
- Shrub layer: Berry bushes and fruiting shrubs (currants, blueberries, elderberries)
- Herbaceous layer: Perennial vegetables and herbs (asparagus, artichokes, comfrey)
- Ground cover layer: Low-growing edible plants (strawberries, alpine strawberries, creeping thyme)
- Root/rhizosphere layer: Root vegetables and soil organisms (potatoes, fungi, beneficial microbes)
- Vine layer: Climbing plants using vertical space (grapes, kiwis, climbing beans)
Establishment follows ecological succession. Designers typically begin with fast-growing nitrogen-fixing plants (legumes, shrubs) that build soil and shelter slower-maturing fruit and nut trees. Early layers die back as the canopy matures, creating mulch and organic matter. The process mirrors how forests naturally develop through pioneer species giving way to climax ecosystems.
Design principles include observation of site conditions (sun, water, wind, soil), arrangement of plants in mutually beneficial “guilds,” water harvesting through contour-based swales and berms, and selection of species adapted to local climate. Unlike orchards, food forests emphasize diversity over monoculture and accept a “wilder” aesthetic as part of ecological function.
Establishment takes 3–7 years before significant yields begin, with maturity reached at 10–20 years. Maintenance decreases over time as the system self-regulates through ecological relationships.
Food Forest Today
Food forests are practiced globally at scales from backyard gardens (as small as 200 square feet) to community projects spanning multiple acres. Notable examples include the 7-acre Browns Mill Food Forest in Atlanta, Georgia (the largest free public food forest in the United States), and Zaytuna Farm in New South Wales, Australia, where Geoff Lawton conducts education programs.
Urban and suburban food forests address food security, reduce landscape maintenance costs, and build climate resilience. Cities across North America have embraced the model as public green infrastructure. Educational centers like Martin Crawford’s Agroforestry Research Trust maintain demonstration sites and plant databases. Online courses, permaculture design certificate (PDC) programs, and instructional films document techniques for diverse climates.
Practitioners encounter food forests through permaculture courses, books (Tree Crops, Forest Gardening, Edible Forest Gardens), online videos (particularly Geoff Lawton’s documentaries), and site visits to established gardens. Regional plant guilds and species selection remain active areas of knowledge exchange, as practitioners adapt tropical and temperate models to specific microclimates.
Common Misconceptions
Food forests are often confused with orchards, but orchards are monocultures requiring regular maintenance (pruning, spraying, mowing), while food forests are polycultures designed for minimal intervention. A food forest is not simply planting fruit trees in a yard—it requires intentional design of plant relationships and succession over time.
Food forests do not produce immediate results. The first 3–5 years require active establishment work and yield little food. They are not “wild” or unmanaged—successful systems require careful observation, design, and initial planting, though maintenance decreases dramatically once mature.
Not all climates support the same species. Much published literature focuses on temperate or tropical examples; practitioners must research and experiment with locally adapted species rather than replicating designs from different bioregions. Food forests are not necessarily tidy or conventionally attractive, which can create tension in neighborhoods with aesthetic norms favoring lawns and ornamental landscaping.
How to Begin
Begin with observation: spend a full year noting sun patterns, water flow, wind, existing vegetation, and soil conditions on your site. Read foundational texts: J. Russell Smith’s Tree Crops for philosophy, Robert Hart’s Forest Gardening for the seven-layer model, or Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier’s two-volume Edible Forest Gardens for comprehensive temperate-climate design.
Start small—a single guild around one fruit tree is sufficient to learn plant relationships and succession dynamics. Select a nitrogen-fixing support species (like comfrey or clover), a ground cover, and companion herbs suited to your climate. Document what thrives and what fails.
Consider taking a permaculture design course (PDC) to learn design principles, or attend workshops at established food forests. Consult regional species databases (Plants For A Future, Agroforestry Research Trust) to identify appropriate perennials. Connect with local permaculture guilds or food forest groups for bioregion-specific knowledge.
Patience is essential. Food forests are multi-decade projects designed to outlive their creators, improving over time rather than depleting resources.