MV Food Forest Toolkit
In a changing coastal climate, a robust and resilient food system is critical for the health and security of our community. The MV Community Food Forest plan is a reimagining of our public lands as community foodscapes, and the toolkit is a guide for creating them.
What is a Food Forest?
A food forest is a diverse, self-sustaining garden of perennial food-bearing plants designed to mimic the structure and ecology of a natural forest. By layering trees, shrubs, and herbs together, food forests create resilient ecosystems that produce fruits, nuts, herbs, and vegetables year after year.
Food forests allow us to expand, diversify, and strengthen our local food system by integrating food production into spaces beyond farm fields.
A Guide for Food Forests
This plan is meant to guide and support the creation of community food forests on Martha’s Vineyard and beyond, from site selection to implementation.
Towns, organizations, businesses, community groups and/or individuals can use the elements of the plan as a complete roadmap for developing public perennial foodscapes anywhere, or referenced to inform any of the individual steps in the process of creating a food forest.
Use this guide at any phase to plan, build, and/or expand perennial food production spaces in any landscape.
Writing, images & mapping by Mary Sage Napolitan
In partnership with the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and supported by the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program