The idea of growing food in an urban environment is really catching on – all over the world:
The Art of Making Lush Community Food Forests Happen | Sierra Club
“Unlike community gardens, wherein a community member might rent a small plot to grow their own produce, a community food forest focuses on places that grow food in a way that mimics a forest ecosystem. Like community gardens, though, the community participates in the overall design and upkeep of the space, according to Catherine Bukowski, coauthor of The Community Food Forest Handbook.”
It’s also very much about saving on the weekly shop:
Cut your grocery bill with a fruit forest [Times paywall!]
And in the Sid Valley we now have our very own:
Sidmouth Community Food Forest is designed to show how low cost food producing sites can be both productive and environmentally sensitive. The site, at Sidford, is open to the public and encourages local people to take part in growing and harvesting a wide range of food forest crops.
Sidmouth Community Food Forest | Facebook
With fascinating insights from Stefan Drew into how and why it has been set up:
The new community ‘food forest’ taking shape in Sidmouth | Sidmouth Herald
Things started in the new year with the planting of the new community orchard:
Several of the volunteers showed an interest in the next phase of work on the site. They had a walk around The Buzz, the environment garden that used to be maintained by the Sidford Playgroup. Members of the Sid Valley Biodiversity Group are working with EDDC to bring the area back to a useable state and there are ambitious plans for a Community Food Forest managed by local volunteers and providing free food for people in need.
SIDFORD COMMUNITY ORCHARD – Sidmouth Arboretum
Here’s the start of the project itself back in April – photos courtesy of the District Council:
New community ‘food forest’ for Sidford | Local News | News | Sidmouth Nub News
With more fabulous photos of the work in progress:
Sidmouth Community Food Forest | Facebook
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