food forest

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

a multi-layered perennial food production system designed to mimic the structure and ecology of a natural woodland while producing a diverse range of edible plants across multiple vertical layers, typically including a canopy of large fruit and nut trees, a sub-canopy of smaller trees, a shrub layer of berry and fruiting bushes, a herbaceous layer of perennial vegetables and herbs, a ground cover layer, a root layer of root vegetables and tubers, and a vertical layer of climbing plants; food forests are a central design element in permaculture and agroforestry practice and are increasingly used in community food growing, urban agriculture, and sustainable smallholding; a well-established food forest requires minimal inputs of labour, water, and fertility compared to annual vegetable cultivation because the perennial plants create a self-sustaining ecosystem that builds its own soil, retains water, and provides habitat for beneficial insects