School Food Forests

[Tristana Pirkl]

Hi Everyone, 

Wondering if anyone utilizes the concept of school food forests in their programs or knows of anyone who does? If you're unfamiliar with the concept, school food forests are a way to grow food at school using a biodiverse, indigenous agroecosystem that mimics the symbiotic and native ecosystem of a forest. 

The Miami-Dade Education Fund is a great example and we're looking for other examples across the country. 

Best, 

Tristana

Tristana Pirkl Executive Director School Garden Support Organization (SGSO) Network (She/Her) www.sgsonetwork.org

[Melina Barker]

Willow Wind Community Learning Center in the Ashland School District - Ashland Oregon. Has a well established food forest that is integrated into garden learning time for all grades k-8. Happy to make connections with the garden staff if you are interested. 

All the best,

Melina

[Laney Cline King]

Hi Everyone,

Growing Healthy Kids (Contra Costa CA) has two food forests, currently still in the building out process.  These serve as extended garden classrooms used for daytime garden and nutrition lessons, and eventually for community members to grow their own food.  I'm curious how other sites use their food forests and also how they are funded.

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Laney Cline King, LCSW / Pronouns: She, Her, Hers

Growing Healthy Kids (formerly MDUSD Garden Education Program)

www.growinghealthykidsbayarea.org

Like us on FB @GrowingHealthyKidsBayArea

415-341-4903

Consider a donation to Growing Healthy Kids today! 

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[REBEKKA HENRIKSEN]

I have been slowly building a food forest on one of our campuses over the past 6 years. In addition to an edible garden, we have an apple orchard, sugar bush, service berries, native blueberries, native cranberries, hazelnuts, sunchokes, strawberries, ground cherries (these are all indigenous crops that are either perennial or self-propagating).

Sincerely, 

Rebekka Henriksen
Farm to School Projects Manager

Office of Innovation, Equity & Engagement
Schenectady City School District
518-949-0520 (work mobile)
518-929-8590 (personal mobile)
1880 Lancaster Street
Schenectady, NY 12308

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[Bennett Rock]

Hi Tristana,

I am personally looking to evolve the educational concept of food Forest on more school campuses. Currently, I care for a junior high orchard in a regenerative fashion (tree guilds, chop & drop...)

I am hopeful to utilize food forests as well as Syntropic agroforestry to teach climate change & promote climate resiliency in schools. 

Side note: these warming trends are begging us to plant more trees.

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[Lara Blom]

I use regenerative ag principles in our school garden as well and have been building up our perennial vegetable stock over time  The deer and other critters get to our fruit trees outside of the garden(and some in the garden) but I'd love to keep in touch with others on the same Food Forest/Permaculture mission.  

Lara Blom

Science Teacher & Garden Coordinator

Hillbrook School

Los Gatos, CA 95120

lb...@hillbrook.org

[Lara Blom]

On this note - Check out these fabulous Tree Collards that are perennial.  They are a piece of cake to grow, easy to propogate and yield year round - though the leaves taste best in Winter.  There are purple tree collards and green.  Any cutting stuck in water sprouts!  My kind of plant.

Lara

[Whitney Cohen]

Hi all,

Would folks be up for sharing photos of your food forests? I'd love to see diverse examples from across the country!
Thank you,

Whitney

[Hope Gribble]

It's exciting to hear about what others are doing in this realm! We have a Permaculture Orchard on our campus which features fruit trees, shrubs, edible ground cover, and native flowers. It's used for early childhood - 12th grade. Students love harvesting strawberries in the Spring and persimmon and pawpaw in the Fall. Last year, our Middle School students created this areal map of the Orchard with scientific drawings around the boarder highlighting the plants in the garden. I'll post a few photos here; more are available on this doc.

Kind regards,

Hope Gribble

Garden Education Coordinator

Principia School

St. Louis, Missouri