Gladni? Samo se uputite u park. Nova prehrambena šuma u Seattleu ima za cilj postati jestiva divljina. (Fotografija: Buena Vista Images/Getty Images)
Seattleova vizija urbane prehrambene oaze se ostvaruje. Parcela od sedam hektara u gradskom naselju Beacon Hill bit će zasađena stotinama različitih vrsta jestivog bilja: stablima oraha i kestena; grmovima borovnica i malina; voćkama , uključujući jabuke i kruške; egzotičnim biljem poput ananasa, yuzu citrusa, guave, kakija, medenjaka i brusnica; začinskim biljem; i još mnogo toga. Sve će biti dostupno za javno branje svima koji zalutaju u prvu gradsku prehrambenu šumu.
„Ovo je potpuno inovativno i nikada prije nije napravljeno u javnom parku“, kaže za TakePart Margarett Harrison, glavna krajobrazna arhitektica za projekt Beacon Food Forest. Harrison trenutno radi na nacrtima za gradnju i dozvole te očekuje početak radova ovog ljeta.
Koncept prehrambene šume zasigurno pomiče granice urbane poljoprivrede i utemeljen je na konceptu permakulture , što znači da će biti višegodišnja i samoodrživa, poput šume u divljini. Ova šuma nije samo prvi veliki permakulturni projekt u Seattleu, već se vjeruje i da je prva takve vrste u zemlji.
„Koncept znači da uzimamo u obzir tlo, biljke pratioce, insekte, kukce - sve će biti obostrano korisno“, kaže Harrison.
Sama činjenica da je plan uopće ostvaren izvanredna je. Ono što je započelo kao grupni projekt za tečaj permakulturnog dizajna završilo je kao školski primjer dobro organiziranog rada s lokalnom zajednicom.
„ Prijatelji Šume hrane poduzeli su herojske napore kako bi osigurali podršku susjedstva. Tim je poslao preko 6000 razglednica na pet različitih jezika, izložio ih na događajima i sajmovima te objavio letke“, piše Robert Mellinger za Crosscut .
Organizatori su toliko cijenili doprinos susjedstva da su čak koristili prevoditelje kako bi pomogli kineskim stanovnicima da imaju glas u planiranju.
Pa tko će ubrati sve te lako dostupne plodove kada dođe vrijeme?
„Svatko i svatko“, kaže Harrison. „Vodila se velika rasprava o tome. Ljudi su se brinuli: 'Što ako netko dođe i uzme sve borovnice?' To se vrlo lako može dogoditi, ali možda su nekome te borovnice bile potrebne. Mi na to gledamo ovako - ako ih nemamo na kraju sezone borovnica, onda to znači da smo uspješni.“
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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....