A food forest incorporates herbs, fruit and nut trees, perennial vegetables, shrubs and vines in dense layers to create a rich matrix of productive land. In comparison, developed farmland is usually free of trees and may support only one crop species at a time. Each system has pros and cons, and both play important roles in feeding the world.
Developed Farmland
Industrial-scale farming gets a lot of negative press for reducing biodiversity and contributing to climate change. However, it is crucial for supporting the world’s nutritional needs.
Pros
Nitrogen fertilizer is responsible for 3.5 billion people being alive today — without intensive agriculture, roughly half the world’s population would die. Developed farmland allows farmers to produce massive quantities of sun-loving vegetables, grain, meat and dairy products on a scale large enough to end world hunger.
Developed farmland can also serve multiple purposes. Adaptive reuse construction is around 16% less expensive than new building projects, and developed land that no longer supports agriculture can become part of a town or other settlement.
Cons
One of the main downsides of developing an area for farming is that land clearing often harms the ecosystem. Cutting down trees and shrubs, removing boulders and planting crops in a monoculture reduces the number of wildlife species that can survive there.
Clearing forests, in particular, leads to reduced carbon sequestration — which contributes to climate change. The machinery farmers use to clear land often emits significant amounts of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Fences present another issue with developed farmland. Many African species are too large to jump over or crawl under fences, and these barriers prevent animals from migrating to reach food, water or breeding grounds. Wildebeests, zebras and elephants are just a few examples of species impacted by fences.
Food Forests
Food forests aren’t right for every climate or crop but they offer outstanding benefits when grown correctly.
Pros
Forest gardening is a form of regenerative agriculture where the food grows back every year. Because the system is perennial, there is no need for seasonal preparations like plowing and seeding crops. Nature does most of the work for farmers — the only tasks they need to do are mulching, pruning and harvesting plants. Food forests are self-fertilizing and require no pesticides.
Food forests can grow in areas that would normally not support farming. Permaculture expert Geoff Lawton turned a salty, rocky desert area in Jordan into a food forest where citrus fruit, papayas, olives, dates and many other crops thrive. Today, his Greening the Desert project helps farmers grow food forests in arid, ecologically damaged places.
Growing biologically diverse forests improves the diversity of birds, insects, mammals and other animals inhabiting an area. Food forests sequester carbon from the atmosphere. They also prevent erosion by holding down the soil and allowing the earth to absorb more rainwater.
Because food forests can be productive for years, they create a personal legacy farmers can hand down to their children and grandchildren. They serve as a form of security during tough economic times. Getting kids involved in gardening from a young age teaches them valuable life skills and cultivates an appreciation for fresh, healthy food.
Cons
One of the biggest downsides of a food forest is the time it takes to get established — it can be years before a food forest is productive enough to earn farmers a return on their investment. In the meantime, growers must have an alternative source of income and food.
Like traditional farming, growing a successful food forest requires significant design and planning. Planting multiple crops in one area entails researching the complex interactions between species.
Forest gardening is also incompatible with existing agricultural machinery. Harvesters are designed to harvest one crop at a time, usually in geometric, evenly spaced rows. They cannot navigate through thick underbrush or between trees. Consequently, farmers must harvest crops from a food forest by hand.
Finally, one of the main reasons food forests cannot fully replace developed farmland is that only certain crops grow in forest conditions. In Africa, bananas, date palms, mulberries and countless other hot-weather-loving plants flourish in food forests, but plants that need full sun — like potatoes and grain — are incompatible with the model.
The Best of Both Worlds
Food production isn’t all or nothing. Farming and forest gardening can work in tandem to feed the world’s growing population.
Food forests are not as productive as developed farmland and won’t replace traditional agriculture. However, they fill a different need — providing fresh, sustainable food that renews itself yearly, reducing global hunger and enriching communities.
