Folks interested in innovative ways cities are using public spaces to address food issues should check out this article about a “food forest” in Seattle. The park will start as a one acre plot in a neighborhood park with a variety of edible fruit planted throughout. If successful, there are plans to expand the food forest to a total of 7 acres. You can check out the Beacon Food Forest’s homepage too.
This is a really great example of permaculture in action. Started in Australia in the 1970s, permaculture is a branch of agriculture whose name comes from the combination of permanent and agriculture. Permaculture uses ecological design and sustainable agriculture techniques together to create spaces that mimic local natural systems and provide permanent sources of food, wildlife habitat, and more.
Further reading on permaculture check out:
permacultureprinciples.com
permaculture.org
permies.com
permaculturenews.org
