Temperate Food Forestry: A review of productivity, design principles, and management practices

Abstract

Abstract

This literature review synthesizes current scientific knowledge on temperate climate food forests, identifies critical gaps, and proposes priority research needs for optimizing establishment and management. Food forests incorporate productive multipurpose trees, shrubs, vines, and groundcovers mimicking natural forest structure. Despite being ancient practices, recent interest aims to adapt food forestry for modern regenerative agriculture. However, few controlled scientific studies have systematically optimized these complex agroecological systems for modern contexts. Currently, empirical data is insufficient to reliably quantify relationships between long-term productivity, design configurations, species selections, and management techniques across diverse mature food forest sites. Monitoring growth, yields, interactions, and ecosystem services across developmental lifecycles is vital. Comparative trials can reveal trade-offs between chemical-intensive orchards and organic polyculture methods. Collaborative experimental networks spanning climatic, edaphic, and management gradients have the potential to significantly advance context-specific scientific guidelines for establishing productive, multifunctional temperate food forests that balance ecological regeneration with community priorities. Participatory research aimed at filling key knowledge gaps can help accelerate the adoption of thoughtfully designed and responsibly managed food forestry systems. If these integrated perennial models are applied using adaptive science-based methods, they may favorably impact localized transformative food system transitions.