In a time of global decline, food forests show that insects, birds, and other wild animals can live, eat, and nest in the same spaces from which we harvest our foods, medicines, fibers, florals, and fuels, and that these spaces can thrive for generations.
So it’s up to us to create a future of resilient, self-perpetuating gardens that allow nature and humanity to thrive together.
About Us
Vision
We are working towards a world where humans are in kinship with all living beings and understand the sacred covenant to protect and care for Earth and its gifts in a way that honors life.
Mission
Our mission is to birth a new culture that returns nature to the heart of our society while producing food in ways that restore the land, tackle the planetary crisis, and enhance human stewardship of Earth and our fellow creatures.
What we do
We bring communities together to design, install, and maintain a network of community food forests on public and private land while sharing the knowledge and skills needed to increase people’s understanding of food forestry, regenerative land stewardship, and ecologically-sound food systems.
Services we offer
Permaculture design
Consultation and advice
Installation & maintenance of food forests
Workshops
Presentations and community outreach
Willing to collaborate on grant proposals
Who we are/history
We are an all-volunteer collection of permaculture designers, expert gardeners, educators, enthusiasts and dreamers who are deeply committed to regenerating the land we live on for our community and for the generations of humans and non-humans who will come after us.
The Community Food Forest Collective is a 501(c)(3) non-profit registered in the state of Maryland. We came together in 2022 thanks to the kind and generous support of Takoma Park Mobilization’s Climate Action Coffee forum, which believed in our mission from the start. We spent the first year scouting for potential locations, reaching out to schools, churches, private institutions, the Takoma Park City Council, and others.
Things took off when, in 2023, the principal at Takoma Park Elementary School gave us the go ahead to install a food forest at the K-2 school. She wanted her students to learn that “when we look after the soil, the soil looks after us.” Shortly after this, Montgomery College gave us permission to design, install and maintain a food forest at its Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus.
We also co-run and fully fund an after school garden club at TPES and will add a Nature Club this year as we further our work to integrate the food forest into the school's curriculum.
We are also looking at several other sites as we seek to build a network of community food forests in Takoma Park and the wider region. And we continue to help residents create and collaborate on food forests in their yards as we seek to build a mutually-supportive network of food forest growers.
Part of our work is to teach people about food forestry, regenerative land stewardship, and ecologically-sound food systems. We bring the community together through shared events that help people learn the skills they need to be good stewards of the land - workshops and volunteer days to prepare and maintain the soil and plants, presentations and talks, and gatherings that celebrate nature’s bounty.
We believe food forests are a powerful way to enhance community well-being in urban areas. They increase food security and sovereignty, and provide nutrient-rich food for the community and beautiful spaces for events and education, while reducing flooding, boosting wildlife habitat and biodiversity, providing shade, and tackling the climate crisis.
So much of today’s social, economic, and environmental crises are rooted in our disconnection from the land and from each other. Food forests and edible gardens are a way of healing these broken relationships. Community food forests, which are based on ancient practices that have served humans for thousands of years, are powerful and proven ways of sparking this transformation and mending our relationships with the land, with each other and with ourselves.
If you’d like help designing, installing, or maintaining a food forest, whether it’s on public or private land, then please reach out via the form below.
We have an expert team of highly knowledgeable people who would love to help you realize your vision. We are always happy to help in whatever way we can and we would love to support you or your project however we can.
