Encourage Edible Landscaping That Is Publicly Accessible

The Boston Food Forest Coalition’s Four-Part Model

The Boston Food Forest Coalition operates under a four-part model: Food Forest Development, Stewardship Teams, Community Land Trust formation, and Education programs. A food forest is a diverse community of plants that attempt to mimic ecosystem patterns found in nature, but with the addition of edible seasonal foods. A food forest not only acts as a publicly accessible perennial source of fresh produce; The organization develops vacant lots into public parks for community gathering and food forest cultivation, and prioritizes neighborhoods that lack access to parkland and greenspace. Their stewardship teams are coalitions of neighbors and volunteers who design and tend to food forest parks. In partnership with the City of Boston, the Boston Food Forest Coalition operates a Community Land Trust network. Community land trusts are a nonprofit, community-centered entity that prioritize community ownership of land. These parcels are legally protected from development, and there is no set-time on the conservation of land parcels; they remain in the land trust forever, and therefore food forests can flourish for generations to come. Their educational programming offers classes on eco-landscaping, herbalism, soil science, and permaculture.

Learn more about the Boston Food Forest Coalition

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