Näljane? Mine lihtsalt parki. Seattle'i uue toidumetsa eesmärk on olla söödav ürgloodus. (Foto: Buena Vista Images/Getty Images)
Seattle'i visioon linnalikust toiduoaasist liigub edasi. Linna Beacon Hilli linnaosas asuvale seitsme aakri suurusele maatükile istutatakse sadu erinevaid söödavaid taimi: kreeka pähkli- ja kastanipuid; mustika- ja vaarikapõõsaid; viljapuid , sealhulgas õunu ja pirne; eksootilisi taimi nagu ananass, yuzu tsitrusviljad, guajaav, hurmaad, mesimarjad ja pohlad; ürte; ja palju muud. Kõik need on avalikult korjamiseks saadaval kõigile, kes linna esimesse toidumetsa satuvad.
„See on täiesti uuenduslik ja sellist asja pole avalikus pargis varem tehtud,“ ütleb Beacon Food Foresti projekti juhtiv maastikuarhitekt Margarett Harrison TakePartile . Harrison töötab praegu ehitus- ja lubade jooniste kallal ning loodab ehitustööd alustada sel suvel.
Toidumetsa kontseptsioon nihutab linnapõllumajanduse piire ja põhineb permakultuuri kontseptsioonil , mis tähendab, et see on mitmeaastane ja isemajandav, nagu mets looduses. See mets pole mitte ainult Seattle'i esimene ulatuslik permakultuuri projekt, vaid arvatakse, et see on ka esimene omataoline riigis.
„See kontseptsioon tähendab, et me arvestame mulda, kaaslaste taimi, putukaid, lutikaid – kõik on üksteisele vastastikku kasulik,“ ütleb Harrison.
See, et plaan üldse valmis sai, on juba iseenesest tähelepanuväärne. See, mis algas permakultuuri disainikursuse grupiprojektina, lõppes õpikunäitega õnnestunud kogukonna kaasamisest.
„ Toidumetsa Sõbrad tegid kangelaslikke teavitustöid, et koguda naabruskonna toetust. Meeskond saatis postiga üle 6000 postkaardi viies erinevas keeles, neid esitleti üritustel ja laatadel ning jagati flaiereid,“ kirjutab Robert Mellinger Crosscuti jaoks .
Korraldajad hindasid naabruskonna panust nii palju, et nad kasutasid isegi tõlkijaid, et aidata Hiina elanikel planeerimisel sõna sekka öelda.
Kes siis saab kogu selle kergelt kättesaadava vilja koristada, kui aeg kätte jõuab?
„Kõik ja igaüks,“ ütleb Harrison. „Selle üle peeti suurt arutelu. Inimesed muretsesid: „Mis siis, kui keegi tuleb ja võtab kõik mustikad ära?“ See võib täiesti juhtuda, aga võib-olla keegi vajas neid mustikaid. Meie vaatame seda nii – kui meil mustikahooaja lõpuks ühtegi pole, tähendab see, et oleme edukad.“
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How many acres? How many people?
If one or a few people pick all of the blueberries one season, or someone else sells some apples they picked, why not plant more acres and more acres and more acres?
Until people bought and barricaded all the land every forest was a food forest...and if you know a forest you can get into, it is still a food forest. Pine, cedar, willow, nuts, and all sorts of forest plants are deliciously edible and sustained humankind for thousands of years. Seattle has a nice urban idea but certainly NOT America's first food forest. Creator gave us that! We have in New England all kinds of orchards with berries, pears, apples, peaches, nuts, honey bees, etc, (not many exotics); a kind of fruit forest - though not usually free. Perhaps it should be called America's first Free Fruit Forest.
This is a fascinating trend. I applaud the visionaries behind this movement. Harold, Lead Pastor @ Life Center, Pasadena, CA
I suspect that is a real possibility Rosemary, but by far better to build this and know that the right people will enjoy. I would love to see this manifest everywhere, no one would need to then try to sell because FREE is available. What a wonderful world this will be!
I read somewhere... can't remember which state... doesn't allow the planting of fruit trees on public property ( schools etc ) because (they say ) it will bring pests. I don't like it when people act stupid.... fruit trees feed people. Rock on permiculture!
This is fascinating and I applaud the people of Seattle, who are once again leading the way :) I do, however, have a question, and this comes from the potential conflicts between 'scarcity' and 'abundance' models. How have they tackled the question of what to do if someone, for example, thinks they can take advantage of this 'abundance' by picking lots of apples and then selling them at a market? I am working with a colleague on an issue of a journal that will focus on 'open source thinking' and this question - is there a dark side to the concept - is one we have been reflecting on, along with thinking about its advantages. In other words, how does one sustain 'orderly' use of the fruit forest without imposing 'control'? Is there an equivalent to the creative commons approach that could apply to such abundance-oriented models and activities?
I think the world was like this.........but we have made it as it is now....it is great that we are trying to swing it back to it glories past...well done good job....all nations, institutions etc can replicate this to their own capacity....