Forest Gardening - An Introduction

Forest gardening, or something equivalent, has existed for thousands of years. From Sri
Lanka to the native cultures of America, tribes of humans have gardened the forest, creating
intimate patchworks of highly diverse and productive clearings. These systems mimicked
natural ecosystems, growing many species of edible and useful plants together.
In contrast to this picture of diverse, wild systems, current agricultural methods are often unsustainable because of
their dependency on non-renewable resources. The modern concept of forest gardening is
evolving, in part, from the desire to create a system focusing on food crops, but also looking
towards a way for us to live in balance, as part of the whole. This course will introduce to the key concepts in forest gardening and the core considerations in designing sustainable systems that create multiple yields.