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Introducing Food Forests

  • Writer: Lindsay Galloway-Hall
    Lindsay Galloway-Hall
  • Apr 22
  • 4 min read
Planting up 125 Scottish Heritage fruit and nut trees, along with edible hedgerows and blaeberries

Have you ever heard of a food forest? Imagine a way of growing food that mimics the ecosystems and the natural cycles and patterns of the biosphere surrounding it.


In 2024 we became proud partners of Emiel's Food Forest, looking to support not only the creation of one such space along the remote shores of Loch Rannoch, but also their creator Earthself's wider goals of encouraging the development of more food forests throughout the country.

The site of Emiel's Food Forest, on the banks of Loch Rannoch
The site of Emiel's Food Forest, on the banks of Loch Rannoch

Earthself, in partnership with Talladh-a-Bheithe Estates and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and with support from Highland Carbon, developed Emiel’s Food Forest on 1.3 hectares of land next to Loch Rannoch in Perthshire.



This project honours the legacy of Aemilius Justin Matthias van Well, known as Emiel, who deeply valued sustainability and the natural world. Emiel, pictured above, passed away in January 2022 at the age of 26 from an aggressive cancer. This food forest now stands as a living tribute to his passions and dedication to the environment.


Adrian van Well, Emiel’s father said: “After 35 years of estate ownership, I wanted to honour my son Emiel, who loved Talladh-a-Bheithe for its sound of silence, beautiful nature and wilderness, by creating the first community food forest in Scotland. As the landowner, I’m lucky to have found a great team in Earthself and UHI Inverness to help make this project a reality.”

Back to basics


Food forests have been part of human practice for thousands of year. Once established, they require minimal maintenance and no fertilizers, pesticides, or machinery. Thanks to their diversity, food forests are naturally resilient, making them more resistant to diseases, pests, weather extremes, and climate changes. Additionally, they help mitigate the impacts of climate change by absorbing significant amounts of CO₂ in the soil, roots, and trees, supporting complex relationships that yield vital ecological benefits.


Building Knowledge and Resilience


This is the first community food forest created in Scotland. As such, Earthself and UHI Inverness prepared the site, planned the planting, and identified the most appropriate plants for food production all with a view to using this as a demonstration site - a living laboratory that demonstrates the viability of food forests as a nature-based solution, benefiting local ecosystems and communities around Loch Rannoch, but also contributing invaluable knowledge for future food forest initiatives.


Nature Positive Supporters


Sixteen students from five Scottish universities mucked in on a transformative tree-planting weekend that included storytelling and personal development. This first phase saw 125 Scottish Heritage fruit and nut trees planted, along with edible hedgerows along two perimeter fences with an initial understory of Blaeberry. Future phases will include pathways, long-term monitoring, cultivation of future stock, and the creation of a learning space for community and student engagement.



Today, 93% of these students continue their involvement in the project, serving as Food Forest Ambassadors. Their role is to inspire the creation of food forests across universities and local communities, with Emiel’s Food Forest serving as a model for a Nature Positive Scotland.


Dr Euan Bowditch, a researcher of forestry and social ecology who is leading the project for UHI Inverness, said: “Food forests, forest gardens or dynamic agroforestry systems are not new but are rarely established, especially at a scale that would be meaningful to a community. There is a deep heritage connected to these mixed systems that entwines with local knowledge and practice which I believe has been lost in the UK. We hope with the help of others we can play a part in bringing back this practice and supporting greater investment in mixed land systems and paying homage to Emiel’s memory by creating this legacy.”


The initial costs of this project were supported by a number of businesses - including Falling Leaf Clothing - who are first-movers in embedding Nature Positive within their business through engaging with Emiel's Food Forest. A number of individuals also made donations and sponsored a tree within Emiel's Food Forest.



Introducing Earthself Initiatives


Due to overwhelming interest in the project, Earthself has established "Earthself Initiatives", a non-profit social enterprise, to drive this movement forward and ensure that all work in this area is dedicated to public benefit.


Along with the creation of this innovative living laboratory, Earthself Initiatives aims to inspire a student-led movement to establish food forests across universities and local communities, as well as engaging individuals, communities, and businesses within a 50-mile radius of Emiel’s Food Forest in hands-on learning and community-driven environmental stewardship initiatives.


Tabitha Jayne, Founding Director of Earthself, said: “As a Community Interest Company we exist to benefit Earth itself and its human and more-than-human inhabitants. Stewarding the creation of Emiel’s Forest and integrating it into our business model is an amazing way for us to demonstrate this and show our clients that we lead by example when it comes to creating net zero and nature positive earth-connected businesses.”

Get Involved


Fancy creating your very own food forest?


If you’re passionate about contributing to Scotland’s Nature Positive future, want to learn more about Emiel's Food Forest, or want to find out about the many ways you can get involved yourself, click here.



The quotes, video and images used in this article have been taken from the following resources:

 
 
 

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