FOODFOREST Oliver ’s Village will host the first completely self-sustaining one hectare food forest in South Africa. This woodland will contain a canopy of mature and maturing nut trees overhead with a variety of fruit swelling on the branches. Shrubs will fill the spaces between the canopy layers and will bear a produce of berries, wildflowers and herbs. Perennial vegetables, legumous plants, herbs and wild edibles will thickly cover the ground, some of which can also be used medicinally. Certain trees and shrubs attract climbers or creepers – vines on which grapes and granadillas blossom. Furthermore, the plants support one another and store minerals in their roots for later harvest and winter storage. Many of these plants will attract higher order organisms found in the forest such as birds, butterflies and beneficial insects, which are present when there is enough food to sustain them. This bionetwork aids in maintaining the balance of the forest, building the soil, keeping the weeds at bay and acts as a non-toxic, completely natural pest control. Why a food forest? Forest gardening gives us a visceral and visual experience, in addition to a deep connection and understanding of an unfolding ecology, changing our self-perceptions, teaching us how the planet works, and adapting our view of our potential roles in the biosphere. Forest gardening allows us the privilege of taking our innate place as part of nature doing nature’s work, rather than as separate, disconnected spectator entities intervening in, dominating and destroying the natural world. Furthermore, each food forest has a few objectives which can potentially contribute significantly to our wellbeing: High generation of diverse produce such as food, fuel, fertilizer, mulch, medicinal herbs and healthy soils; A largely self-maintaining garden; A healthy ecosystem and A fun, hands-on education. The Succession of a Food Forest Imitating natural systems is essential to any successful effort to raise food. Forest gardening requires the skill of knowing which plants to place together in woodland-like patterns in order to create these mutually beneficial relationships that forms an ecosystem one would find naturally. In order to create a largely self-sustaining food forest that is beautiful, diverse and delivers a high produce, it needs to be designed thoughtfully and with a deep understanding of undomesticated ecosystem function. Layers of the forest One of the most important aspects of creating a fully self sustaining food forest is ensuring the integrity of the soil. This means planting ground cover that boosts the fertility of the soil by growing deep into the subsoil, mining minerals and making them available to shallow- rooted plants. Other types of groundcover are nitrogen fixers, the roots of which associate with a type of bacteria that fixes nitrogen in the soil in a mutually beneficial relationship between the bacteria and the host plant. Nitrogen needs to be fixed in the soil as it is involved in the metabolism of chlorophyll molecules, which is essential for photosynthesis. Although the earth’s atmosphere is an abundant source of Nitrogen, most is unusable by plant life. Nitrogen fixing and bacterial conversion are required to convert gaseous Nitrogen through the soil into forms usable by plants via their root systems. This makes Nitrogen a critical element in food production and food security. Examples of food bearing ground cover are strawberries. The canopy layer is the highest layer of the food forest in which the largest trees, which need the full light of the sun, thrive. Their leaves form a network of solar collectors for photosynthesis to support their massive growth, and they provide shading for the shrubs and under storey layers beneath them. Large fruit and nut trees are often found in this layer, which can also provide excellent firewood. The under storey layer or low tree layer of the food forest consists mainly of dwar f fruit and nut trees. Some of these trees have learnt how to live in the shade of the canopy where there is less light. The shrub layer of the forest which usually consists of bushes bearing berries and currants is lower than the under storey layer. The herbaceous layer which further assists with soil fertility can ser ve as dynamic accumulators or nitrogen fixers. Examples of the herbaceous layer are beets, comfreys and various herbs. The rhizosphere or root vegetable layer, containing for example, potatoes and carrots, is established in a perennial polyculture, and so these foods are har vested with minimal disturbance to the forest floor. Lastly, vines or creepers form a vertical layer, climbing the canopy and under storey trees to find sunlight. Examples of this vertical layer include grapes and granadillas. In addition, clumpers like bamboo may be considered for the Oliver ’s Village forest, not just for the shoots, but as a valuable sustainable building material. In order for this project to unfold in Oliver ’s Village, Midgard has taken into account the plants ’ size, form, habitat, rooting patterns, tolerances and preferences, as well as its native habitat, human uses and ecological functions. Midgard will further embrace a design to include a habitat for beneficial wildlife such as frogs, insects, butter flies and birds. Forest gardening is exciting because it promises to increase food yield, requires much lower maintenance and offers a deeper connection to the natural world. The forest garden fuses the cultivated and the wild and offers an experience that not only uplifts the body, but the eye and the soul.