By Anonymous
Pictures are from online, I’m not on campus very often.
Interactions
For my mapping project I chose to do the Innovation Food Forest and to focus on the interaction between students and faculty with the forest. Humans and animals have interactions with Innovation Food Forest in several ways, from walking through the forest on their way to class, snagging a piece of fruit on a study break, or stopping to watch bees visiting the flowers. Interactions are also through the maintenance of the forest – planting, watering, pruning, and harvesting.
Resource Characteristics
Growing and maintaining a food forest is beneficial for the ecosystem and humans, it also provides residents, or visitors, of the area with food security. (Coffey et al, 2021) In addition to providing food security food forests provide services such as carbon sequestration, fertility enhancement, biodiversity protection, and goods such as wood, produce, herbs, and medicinal plants. (Allen & Mason, 2021)
Governance/User Characteristics
Innovation Food Forest was funded in 2012 and 2013, by the Patriot Green Fund and led by E. Torrens with the goal of creating an edible permaculture garden and infrastructure. (PGF Recipients, n.d.) The Office of Sustainability along with the Mason Green Fund oversee the food forest and since its creation the food forest has been cared for primarily by students, volunteers, and staff. (Innovation Food Forest, n.d.)
Social/Cultural/Economic/Settings and Related Ecosystem
Having a food forest on campus can provide economic benefits, through the selling of goods or providing income to students and faculty; the range of support can range from administrative to manual labor. (Totiyapungprasert, 2022) A food forest can also provide food security to people in need – be it student, faculty, or members of the local community and can reduce produce purchased by supplying the desired products. (Coffey et al., 2021) Food forests can promote healthier eating through fruits, vegetables, and herbs; it also provides environmental protection for the ecosystem while also connecting humans to nature. (Atin et al., 2022)
What can we do?
Support the forest through volunteering at Innovation Food Forest and working to expand the forest or create additional food forests throughout the campus and within the community. By selling a selection of the harvest it can also raise funds for more produce to be grown and supplied throughout the community and campus. The university is acting on this issue, they have done so by funding the Innovation Food Forest and allowing for it to continue. The university and the Office of Sustainability are also acting on this issue by creating composting plots, gardens, and greenhouses.
References
Allen, J. A., & Mason, A. C. (2021). Urban food forests in the American Southwest. Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/uar2.20018
Coffey, S. E., Munsell, J. F., Hübner, R., & Friedel, C. R. (2021). Public Food Forest Opportunities and challenges in small municipalities. Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/uar2.20011
PGF recipients. University Sustainability. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://green.gmu.edu/patriot-green-fund/pgf-recipients/
Innovation Food Forest. University Sustainability. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://green.gmu.edu/campus-sustainability/campus-gardens/ff-home/
Totiyapungprasert, P. (2022, May 11). The food forest co-op: Wants to make good food accessible to all. Arizona Republic http://mutex.gmu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/food-forest-co-op/docview/2661783384/se-2
Atin, V., Ibrahim, A. L., & Lintangah, W. J. (2022). Food Security and Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) implementation at the Forest Management Unit (FMU) level: A case study in salarom Taka, Nabawan, Sabah. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1053(1), 012015. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1053/1/012015