Why measure?
Many people feel that food forests are doing good, but in order to move policy, funding and knowledge forward, we must also be able to show it in numbers show.
By measuring how much food, biodiversity, carbon and soil life a food forest produces, we make it clear what nature gives back if we give it space.
With each measurement, a national picture of:
the food yield by species and in total;
the CO₂ storage, calculated from measurements of log thicknesses and heights;
the biodiversity, through observations of species in the herb layer;
and the development of the soil, based on composition and soil life.
A citizen's initiative for science
The strength of this project lies in collaboration. Any food forest manager or volunteer can participate: together we collect data using a simple, standardized method. In this way we are building an open data source that shows how food forests contribute to the climate and biodiversity goals of the Netherlands.
Participate in measuring
Do you manage a food forest or are you involved in a food forest initiative?
Sign up for Measure your food forest harvest by creating an account and putting your food forest on the map.
You will get access to measurement forms, explanations and support in registering your results.
You will then receive a call in the spring to measure biodiversity, and in the fall we will measure soil animals.
Learn more about how and why we conduct these measurements on the page aboutfood forest monitoring.
Our partners in the development of this project:
This project was made possible by support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe Invests in its Countryside.
And the Province of Gelderland
