Our Work

WHAT IS A FOOD FOREST?

Food forests are public edible parks maintained by community members, for community members.

A food forest is a diverse arrangement of plants that attempts to mimic the ecosystems and patterns found in nature. Inspired by the style of land management known as permaculture, this approach to land management focuses on growing perennials (i.e. plants that return year after year) and viewing the whole ecosystem rather than individual parts.

Food forests build environmental resilience. Some ways they do this include:

• tree canopy cools the air in hot weather;

• plant, tree, and shrub roots stabilize the soil to protect it from erosion;

• biodiverse plant species provide habitat for beneficial insects, pollinators, songbirds, & wildlife;

• carbon is sequestered (i.e. stored in the soil rather than the atmosphere).

Food forests also provide delicious seasonal foods and safe, natural spaces for neighbors to gather, and are distinct from community gardens in various ways — mainly that they are initiated, built, and cared for by neighborhood volunteers (called ‘stewards’) who enjoy the spaces without reserving or paying for use in advance.

Naturally, this approach invites collaboration and democratic decision-making when developing a space. For this reason, food forests lend themselves well to the community land trust model, which center neighbors and community at the heart of these special spaces.

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY LAND TRUST?

A community land trust, or CLT, is a legal structure that holds and protects land for community use. The legal owner of the land is a nonprofit entity with a Board of Directors composed of community members for whom the land is being held. In this way, the land remains in community control and is collectively managed and steered by community members.

Although an alternative approach to land ownership, the CLT model is not new. It originated during the Civil Rights Movement to help Black farmers gain access to land, and was championed by leaders like Fannie Lou Hamer and Slater King. BFFC’s mission in Boston builds on the work of earlier leaders to protect and democratize local natural habitat.

In partnership with the City of Boston, we transfer city-owned plots of land into our nonprofit land trust for use as open public parks. These parcels are legally protected from development and become available to our communities for food forest gardening, educational classes, and events. There is no set time limit on the conservation of these parcels of land — they remain protected in our land trust forever.

In the case of BFFC, these public parks are called “food forests” and the caretakers are called “stewards.”

WHAT IS STEWARDSHIP?

BFFC stewards are local community members, families, and neighbors of the food forest parks. Each food forest has its own team of stewards who work collaboratively to maintain it: pruning trees, planting shrubs, harvesting herbs, planning community potlucks, and so much more. These same people collectively own the park through the mechanism of BFFC’s community land trust.

Stewardship teams design their food forest gardens and are the caretakers of these public parks over time. BFFC staff support stewards to build their teams, establish goals for their food forests, and work collaboratively to achieve those goals through permaculture and environmental educational programs, technical assistance, and regular touchpoints.

We focus on equity and inclusion across race and class when establishing our stewardship teams. Before building a new site, we collaborate with neighborhood associations and groups to listen to and learn about their goals for neighborhood development. Then, we co-create a plan for developing a vacant lot, lending our expertise in food forest design while soliciting and incorporating community input. Local buy-in for any food forest project is critical, as ownership for each site’s ongoing care will rest with neighbors.

We are conscious and aware of systemic oppression in Boston, and center our shared work on bringing together diverse groups of neighbors to tend the land and create new, vibrant, public green spaces for our communities.

WHY NOW?

For Boston, the urgency of this moment is threefold:

• Climate emergency. Extreme heat is one of the most severe impacts we face as the climate crisis worsens. It’s critical to invest now in community-led initiatives that allow us to grapple with and build resilience against heat and other climate impacts.

• Rapid urban development: Vacant parcels of land in Boston won't remain so in 10 years due to the building boom. It's imperative to incorporate climate resilience into our urban planning now by investing in parkland projects of local leaders.

• Neighborhood demand. Due to Boston’s history of inequitable neighborhood development, there is a 20% disparity in parkland between Bostonians of color and white Bostonians. Neighbors demand full quality of life in their communities now, including equitable access to parkland and fresh, healthy food.

Despite the challenges of this time, our coalition continues to build new food forests and steward existing ones. We’re planting trees, harvesting fruit, organizing events, and building bridges to connect across divides. We’re seeding a new vision for the future of Boston — one rooted in hope, possibility, and harvest.

Now is the time to protect and expand the number of food forest parks in Boston, building resilience for generations to come.