Food forests and forest gardens: Definition, practical application and role in sustainable development

Food forests and forest gardens are increasingly recognized as multifunctional agroforestry systems that enhance biodiversity, support community well-being and contribute to food security. However, the inconsistent terminology surrounding these systems and the lack of a uniform definition pose challenges for policy makers and researchers in developing coherent frameworks. This review examines what defines and characterizes food forests and forests gardens and links them to the three dimensions of sustainability—environmental, social, and economic—to assess their role in sustainable development. A cultural domain analysis was used to identify convergences and discrepancies in how food forests and forest gardens are perceived and implemented across different contexts. The findings reveal the three most common practical applications of food forests and forest gardens: public edible landscapes, private gardens and agricultural production systems. There is no clear distinction between the different applications in the scientific literature, and the terms food forest and forest garden are often used interchangeably. Across all applications, food forests and forest gardens consistently adopt a design that mimics the multi-layered vegetation structure and the high diversity of natural forest ecosystems, predominantly consisting of edible perennial plants. Emphasizing environmental stewardship through the conservation and restoration of ecosystems, with a special focus on restoring soil and biodiversity, was identified as a core unifying theme. However, in the context of public edible landscapes or agricultural enterprises they can take distinct roles in sustainable development. Community forest gardens as public initiatives offer the opportunity to experience linkages between food production, ecology and climate change, thereby fostering awareness and encouraging local communities to take part in sustainable development. Productive food forests as part of agricultural enterprises on the other side contribute to sustainability by increasing regional self-sufficiency and by adapting agricultural practices to climate change.