Edible landscapes
Many solutions to climate change in agriculture are advocated by agroecology, notably edible landscapes. These aim to plant species that provide food production. The edible landscape is a "branch" of permaculture.
Establishing an edible landscape
Edible landscapes are found mainly in orchards, hedges, gardens, and cities (balconies, terraces, parks, green spaces, etc.).
- Species must be chosen according to the climate and soil.
- Do not neglect auxiliary plants[1] (nitrogen-fixing, melliferous, etc.).
- Implementation in living soil market gardening or traditional.
Edible landscapes can create links between different stakeholders[2] when implemented in schools, for example. These places create spaces for sharing and meeting, as well as knowledge transfer. Through interactions between city dwellers, these landscapes contribute to the establishment of trust relationships. These interactions break down certain prejudices, notably cultural ones and contribute to the development of community cohesion.[3]
They also allow for the production of more sustainable food less dependent on fossil fuels.
Forest garden
Forest gardens are productive ecosystems that value natural plant succession. These edible forests aim to guarantee a landscape with multiple, abundant, and nourishing resources. It is the most advanced form of edible landscape. Its goal is to create an ecosystem that is both as autonomous and as productive as possible.
The forest garden combines multiple plants to exploit the different aerial layers (trees, shrubs, climbing plants, herbaceous plants, ground cover) and diversify the underground layers (taproots, runners, bulbs). This allows to increase planting density and species diversity. Productive plants and auxiliary plants are arranged to limit human intervention.[1]
To create a forest garden, there is a system based on observing the natural forest that can be divided into 7 layers:[4]
- Canopy layer, made up of native fruit trees
- Low tree layer: walnut and dwarf rootstock fruit trees
- Shrub layer: fruit shrubs such as blackcurrant and other berries
- Herbaceous layer of vegetables and perennial herbs
- Rhizosphere or underground dimension of plants grown for their roots and tubers
- Ground cover layer of edible plants that spread horizontally
- Vertical layer of vines and other climbing plants
Most traditional vegetables grown today, such as carrots, are sun-loving plants poorly suited to the shadier forest garden system. It is therefore better to favor shade-tolerant perennials.
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Perpétuelle, 2018 : What is an edible landscape? https://perpetuelle-paysages-comestibles.com/un-paysage-comestible-cest-quoi/
- ↑ Hugo Carton, 2016 : Edible landscapes are the keystone of tomorrow's food production https://reporterre.net/Les-paysages-comestibles-sont-la-clef-de-voute-de-la-production-alimentaire-de#:~:text=Par%20paysage%20comestible%2C%20on%20entend,les%20haies%20bocag%C3%A8res%20par%20exemple.
- ↑ Mark Zucchero, 2018: How rethinking the city through edible landscapes can provide answers to modern urban challenges? https://dumas.ccsd.cnrs.fr/dumas-01895295/document
- ↑ Wikipedia: Forest garden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_garden
