Lesson 1.0 INTRODUCING - FOOD FORESTS TO FEED THE FUTURE

 

FOOD FOREST COURSE

AGRO-ECONOMY Lesson 1.0 

INTRODUCING - FOOD FORESTS TO FEED THE FUTURE

As the world celebrates International Day of Forests on 21st March, one avenue to explore is the role that food forests can play in providing a rich source of nutrition for humans while enhancing biodiversity and nourishing the soil.

Forests are some of the most productive, biodiverse and self-sustaining ecosystems on earth. Yet, deforestation, an indicator measured by the Food Sustainability Index, destroys these rich centres of life at a rate of 10 m hectares per year. Driven by demand for monoculture crops such as soya (primarily for livestock feed) and palm oil (a widely used ingredient in food-processing and cosmetics), deforestation presents a major problem for forest ecosystems. But what if forests and food production could be reconciled in a novel way?

Food forests may be the answer. Human-designed food forests differ from conventional forests, which do not provide humans with significant sources of nutrition. Food forests emulate the ecosystem of a young forest but with a crucial difference: most of the plants are edible. By mimicking the autonomous ecosystem of a forest, these systems can provide low-maintenance and self-nurturing sources of food, while actively contributing to reforestation.

A forest ecosystem typically has Nine Layers canopy trees, smaller trees, bushes and shrubs, herbaceous layers, ground cover, root crops, and climbers. In a food forest, large fruit and nut trees form the canopy, followed by smaller fruit trees, shrubs of berries and currants, herbs, strawberries, and other ground cover plants, root vegetables, and vines such as grapes. Each layer of the ecosystem is put to use in the production of edible and medicinal plants. In addition, nitrogen-fixer plants support the system by drawing key nutrients into the soil. By fostering a diversity of complementary plants and fungi, forest gardens can be both highly productive and resilient to extreme weather events and pests.

Cultivating food in accordance with forest ecosystems dates back thousands of years. Since the 1970s, the idea of productive food forests, or forest gardens, has become increasingly popular for advocates of sustainable living. They are seen as a key tool for permaculture – literally, permanent agriculture – a design method and worldview which seeks to develop agricultural systems that both serve human needs and maintain the diversity and stability of natural ecosystems over the long term.

Feeding communities

Food forests that are open to the public for foraging have become popular in recent years. In urban settings, these projects have the potential to provide unique advantages, tackling the problem of food deserts, where affordable fresh fruit and vegetables are not readily available.

Forests take time to reach maturity. They are multi-generational projects with the potential to become rich centres of life: providing nutrition, enhancing biodiversity, storing carbon, and building community. Some of the benefits of these long-term projects are already apparent, but as the forest shows, ancestral efforts reap the greatest rewards.

The challenge today is as much about ensuring that established food forests are protected, while laying down strong roots for the future. So far, most new food forests have been grassroots initiatives, but governments ambitious about tackling climate change and food sustainability could scale these projects as part of a drive to combat deforestation and lock in carbon. That would require a serious commitment to governing in the interests of future generations. Then perhaps a thousand years from now there could be bountiful forests across the planet. These forests would be rich with ripe fruit and aromatic herbs to feed whole communities. And there would always be plenty left for the birds as well.

Text from the roots, Elisabeth Ferkonia (Aus.) PDC studied with Bill Mollison,

 

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KOZI YA MSITU WA OOD

KILIMO-UCHUMI Somo la 1.0

UTANGULIZI - MISITU YA CHAKULA ILI KULISHA BAADAYE

Wakati dunia inaadhimisha Siku ya Kimataifa ya Misitu tarehe 21 Machi, njia moja ya kuchunguza ni jukumu ambalo misitu ya chakula inaweza kutekeleza katika kutoa chanzo kikubwa cha lishe kwa binadamu huku ikiimarisha bayoanuwai na kulisha udongo.

Misitu ni baadhi ya mifumo ya ikolojia inayozalisha zaidi, ya viumbe hai na inayojiendesha yenyewe duniani. Hata hivyo, ukataji miti, kiashiria kinachopimwa kwa Kielezo cha Uendelevu wa Chakula, huharibu vituo hivi vya maisha kwa kiwango cha hekta 10 kwa mwaka. Kutokana na mahitaji ya mazao ya kilimo kimoja kama vile soya (hasa kwa ajili ya malisho ya mifugo) na mawese (kiungo kinachotumika sana katika usindikaji wa chakula na vipodozi), ukataji miti unaleta tatizo kubwa kwa mifumo ikolojia ya misitu. Lakini vipi ikiwa misitu na uzalishaji wa chakula ungeweza kupatanishwa kwa njia mpya?

Misitu ya chakula inaweza kuwa jibu. Misitu ya chakula iliyotengenezwa na binadamu inatofautiana na misitu ya kawaida, ambayo haitoi wanadamu vyanzo muhimu vya lishe. Misitu ya chakula huiga mfumo ikolojia wa msitu mchanga lakini kwa tofauti muhimu: mimea mingi inaweza kuliwa. Kwa kuiga mfumo ikolojia unaojiendesha wa msitu, mifumo hii inaweza kutoa vyanzo vya chini vya utunzaji na kujistawisha vya chakula, huku ikichangia kikamilifu katika upandaji miti upya.

Mfumo wa ekolojia wa misitu kwa kawaida huwa na miti ya dari ya Tabaka Tisa, miti midogo, vichaka na vichaka, tabaka za mimea, mifuniko ya ardhini, mimea ya mizizi na wapanda mlima. Katika msitu wa chakula, miti mikubwa ya matunda na kokwa hufanyiza mwavuli, ikifuatwa na miti midogo ya matunda, vichaka vya beri na currants, mimea, jordgubbar, na mimea mingine inayofunika ardhini, mboga za mizizi, na mizabibu kama vile zabibu. Kila safu ya mfumo wa ikolojia hutumiwa katika utengenezaji wa mimea inayoliwa na ya dawa. Kwa kuongeza, mimea ya kurekebisha nitrojeni inasaidia mfumo kwa kuchora virutubisho muhimu kwenye udongo. Kwa kukuza aina mbalimbali za mimea inayosaidiana na kuvu, bustani za misitu zinaweza kuzaa sana na kustahimili matukio ya hali mbaya ya hewa na wadudu.

Kulima chakula kwa mujibu wa mazingira ya misitu kulianza maelfu ya miaka. Tangu miaka ya 1970, wazo la misitu ya chakula yenye tija, au bustani za misitu, limezidi kuwa maarufu kwa watetezi wa maisha endelevu. Zinaonekana kama nyenzo muhimu kwa kilimo cha kudumu - kihalisi, kilimo cha kudumu - mbinu ya kubuni na mtazamo wa ulimwengu ambao unatafuta kukuza mifumo ya kilimo ambayo inakidhi mahitaji ya binadamu na kudumisha utofauti na utulivu wa mifumo ya ikolojia ya asili kwa muda mrefu.

Kulisha jamii

Misitu ya chakula ambayo iko wazi kwa umma kwa lishe imekuwa maarufu katika miaka ya hivi karibuni. Katika mazingira ya mijini, miradi hii ina uwezo wa kutoa faida za kipekee, kukabiliana na tatizo la jangwa la chakula, ambapo matunda na mboga za bei nafuu hazipatikani kwa urahisi.

Misitu huchukua muda kufikia ukomavu. Ni miradi ya vizazi vingi yenye uwezo wa kuwa vituo tajiri vya maisha: kutoa lishe, kuimarisha bioanuwai, kuhifadhi kaboni, na kujenga jumuiya. Baadhi ya manufaa ya miradi hii ya muda mrefu tayari yanaonekana, lakini kama msitu unavyoonyesha, juhudi za mababu hupata thawabu kubwa zaidi.

Changamoto leo ni kama vile kuhakikisha kuwa misitu ya chakula iliyoanzishwa inalindwa, huku ikiweka mizizi imara kwa siku zijazo. Kufikia sasa, misitu mingi mipya ya chakula imekuwa mipango ya msingi, lakini serikali zenye nia ya kukabiliana na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa na uendelevu wa chakula zinaweza kuongeza miradi hii kama sehemu ya harakati za kupambana na ukataji miti na kuzuia kaboni. Hilo lingehitaji kujitolea kwa dhati kutawala kwa maslahi ya vizazi vijavyo. Kisha labda miaka elfu kutoka sasa kunaweza kuwa na misitu mingi katika sayari. Misitu hii ingekuwa na matunda mbivu na mimea yenye harufu nzuri ya kulisha jamii nzima. Na siku zote kungekuwa na mengi ya kusalia kwa ndege pia.

Maandishi kutoka kwenye mizizi, Elisabeth Ferkonia (Aus.) PDC alisoma na Bill Mollison,