<
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Food/2024/0828/boston-food-forests-community-permaculture>
"Ann Noble has lived in the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester for 11 years. Her
third-floor condo lacks the space to garden. And, until recently, she didn’t
know any of her neighbors.
Looking for a way to get her hands dirty, she signed up for a Boston Food
Forest Coalition (BFFC) cleanup day near her home. She not only found a place
to garden, she says, but also met her neighbors for the first time at the Savin
Hill Wildlife Garden.
“For me, it’s served two purposes, which is giving back to my community,” says
Ms. Noble, “but also meeting some new people who live in my community, who
share my values in terms of … having a green footprint.”
Where the Savin Hill food forest stands today used to be an empty lot. The site
took five years to build and officially opened to the public in 2022. “The
difference is unbelievable,” Ms. Noble says. “You never would have set foot in
this property as a person who didn’t want to get mugged … or step on a needle,”
she says. Now, it’s full of life, and as it matures, she adds, it will become
even more beautiful.
Urban food forests serve a unique role. They aren’t large – the footprint is
roughly the size of a housing lot – but they can host over 100 species of
plants and trees on an acre. Many BFFC sites have been built in neighborhoods
that are lower-income and lack green space. The sites require maintenance –
although the goal is for them to become self-sustaining over time. Food
forestry differs from community gardening because the space is open for anyone
to come in, spend time, harvest, or plant. Most BFFC sites contain plants that
produce herbs, berries, fruit, and food for pollinators. In Boston, the network
of these tiny forests collectively provides climate resiliency and spaces to
forge connections among neighbors."
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-climate-friendly-pawpaw-fruit/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
