Exploring ‘beyond-food’ opportunities for biocultural conservation in urban forest gardens

Authors: HEMMELGARN, HANNAH - University Of Missouri; MUNSELL, JOHN - Virginia Polytechnic Institution & State University

Submitted to: Urban Agriculture and Regional Food Systems
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/14/2021
Publication Date: 4/14/2021
Citation: Hemmelgarn, H.L., Munsell, J.F. 2021. Exploring ‘beyond-food’ opportunities for biocultural conservation in urban forest gardens. Urban Agriculture and Regional Food Systems. https://doi.org/10.1002/uar2.20009.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/uar2.20009

Interpretive Summary: Urban agroforestry efforts focus primarily on food production but can host a much broader set of functions. This exploratory synthesis describes opportunities and considerations for urban forest gardens’ (UFG) capacity to include diverse, biologically important, and culturally relevant nontimber forest species that have medicinal properties, provide decorative and landscaping products, supply raw material for crafts, and other valuable outputs. Incorporating conservation goals into urban agroforestry initiatives at varying scales holds potential for growing interest in and commitment to building capacity for this emergent land use.

Technical Abstract: Urban agroforestry efforts have focused primarily on food production, but thesedynamic, multiple-strata systems can host a much broader set of functions. Thisexploratory synthesis describes opportunities and considerations for urban forest gar-dens’ (UFG) capacity to include diverse, biologically important, and culturally rele-vant nontimber forest species that have medicinal properties, provide decorative andlandscaping products, supply raw material for crafts, and other valuable outputs. Lit-erature relevant to social and ecological aspects of design for ‘beyond-food’ specialtyforest crops in urban forest gardens reveals a need for collaborative, participatory, andculturally relevant UFG decision making that addresses access inequities, potentialcontamination from urban pollutants, and a continued need for education and aware-ness of UFG multifunctionality. These production spaces can serve as both a biologi-cal and cultural repository for species that may be otherwise overlooked in a narrowlyoriented food garden, though case study examples indicating contextual elements ofimplementation are needed to understand specific cultural and health sovereigntybenefits. Currently, traditional tropical homegardens serve as a model for bioculturaldiversity in small-scale urban green spaces. Incorporating conservation goals intourban agroforestry initiatives at varying scales holds potential for growing interest inand commitment to building capacity for this emergent land use.