A food forest, also called a forest garden or edible forest, is a designed agroecosystem that mimics the structure and function of a natural forest while being made largely of edible plants. Instead of one crop grown in isolation, it combines multiple layers of useful plants that support one another over time.

People enter gradually, following natural paths into a layered, living landscape. They walk, touch, smell, and taste along the way—picking figs, brushing herbs, pausing in shade. There’s no set route or attraction, just quiet moments of discovery. The space slows them down, inviting observation, rest, and simple interaction with nature.

What makes this project special is the scale and the philosophy behind it. It is not just an orchard or a garden, but a long-term regenerative landscape designed to produce food while also creating habitat, beauty, shade, learning opportunities, and a stronger connection between people and land. It also plays a key role in the wider farm vision, linking with spaces like the Hobbit House and the rest of the permaculture master plan.

The food forest is not separate from the farm—it’s its natural extension. It supplies the farm with diverse, seasonal produce while requiring less input over time. Instead of rows and intensive work, it supports a more resilient system where plants, soil, and biodiversity work together. For visitors, it reveals where the food comes from in a living, tangible way. What grows in the forest can be tasted, used, or experienced on the farm, creating a direct connection between landscape and plate. It also shifts the farm’s role—from pure production to a place of learning, exploration, and regeneration.

The Food Forest is designed in layers, similar to a natural woodland ecosystem. These include canopy and small fruit trees, shrubs, climbing vines, perennial herbs, root crops, ground covers, and the living soil layer below — including roots, microorganisms, and mycelium networks that help support nutrient cycling and long-term soil health.

The Food Forest is planned as a diverse edible landscape with a mix of fruit trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, root crops, and living ground covers. Planting may include figs, mulberries, cherries, and other Mediterranean-adapted species selected for resilience, biodiversity, and seasonal harvest.

Unlike a conventional orchard, a Food Forest is not based on a single crop or simple rows of trees. It combines many species in a multi-layered system where plants support each other, improve soil life, attract pollinators, and create a richer and more resilient landscape.

The Food Forest is envisioned not only as a productive growing area, but also as a beautiful place to walk through, learn from, and enjoy. Paths, terraces, and shaded planting areas will create an immersive landscape where visitors can experience abundance, biodiversity, and the calm atmosphere of a living edible forest.