Trees and Bushes for Food

Extreme storms, droughts, and intense heat waves are affecting food harvests across the planet. All indications are that these events will intensify and reduce future crop yields even more. Scientists are working to hybridize seeds to better withstand these impacts; an increasing number of farmers are moving away from monocrops, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides and toward regenerative practices to create healthier, water-retaining soils. 

Except as monocultures, food trees and shrubs are often overlooked as a low-impact source of food. When combined, they create healthy diversity. The plants can be layered based on their verticality, with large trees sheltering smaller ones, interspersed with bushes, flowering plants, fungi, and sometimes vines, all for diverse food production. The goal is solar management — selecting which plants receive the sun, for how long, and during which seasons. An example is Bird Friendly Coffee. This certification means the coffee is 100 percent organic and shade-grown while ensuring preservation of bird habitat.

There are more than 70 species of perennial tree crops, ones that produce edible food year after year while sequestering atmospheric carbon in their leaves, stems, trunks, roots, and associated soils. Moreover, some of these grow well in hilly, rocky, and rain-deficient places, locations that otherwise would not be used to produce food.