Mini Food Forest Module
What is the Biggest Mini Forest?
The Biggest Mini Forest: A Growing Network of Edible Forests
The Biggest Mini Forest is a grassroots initiative to create a worldwide network of edible forests, built around a simple yet powerful design: a standard 2m x 2m (4m²) module of perennial species, surrounded by a 0.5m border of annual plants. Each module is designed to produce food not just within the first few months but over several generations—all without chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
Why Start Small? Simple, Scalable, Sustainable
Our modular design makes it easy for anyone to start a Mini Food Forest quickly and expand at their own rhythm, creating more green spaces over time.
Easy to Begin: Each plot is designed to be implemented with fewer resources than large-scale setups, so you can create a mini ecosystem in no time.
Expand as You Grow: Add new modules alongside your initial plot to build a resilient and biodiverse forest. Each new module strengthens your ecosystem, enhancing soil health, food production, and biodiversity.
Becoming a “Mini Forester”
As a Mini Forester, you’ll join others in the BMF community to learn, grow, and regenerate together. , and benefit from a system that requires less maintenance than large-scale edible forests or agroforestry systems. This modular approach will allow you continuous learning as the forest grows, knowledge that can be applied when expanding and creating new plots.
Learn by Doing: Your Mini Food Forest is a living classroom, offering insights and skills that grow with your forest. Expand at your own pace, one small plot at a time.
Connected Community: Get support from our local and online community, where you can exchange tips, resources, and inspiration with others who share your vision.
What Does “Biggest Mini Forest” Mean?
Our name, “Biggest Mini Forest,” reflects our belief in the big impact that small, replicable models can create. Each Mini Food Forest is a small step toward regenerating landscapes and nurturing communities, building a network of interconnected green spaces.
The Vision of a Global Network of Mini Food Forests
Our mission is to create a world where Mini Food Forests are thriving across landscapes, connecting people and communities through a shared commitment to regeneration. We envision a global Biggest Mini Forest Network where every Mini Forester, from city gardeners to rural land stewards, can be part of a resilient, interconnected movement.
In the future, we imagine:
An interactive map showcasing Mini Food Forests worldwide, allowing each Mini Forester to see their work as part of a larger, global movement.
A knowledge-sharing hub where people can easily access resources, tips, and support from others who share their vision for regeneration.
Local and regional groups to inspire action and foster collaboration, helping bring more Mini Food Forests to both urban and rural areas.
We’re deeply committed to this vision and believe that, together, we can build a world of thriving ecosystems, each contributing to a larger web of life and resilience. Join us on this journey and become part of a future where "Start Mini, Dream Big" transforms landscapes, connects communities, and supports the planet.
Overall, the Biggest Mini Forest project is a holistic and sustainable approach to food production and ecosystem restoration, inspired by two different methodologies: the Japanese reforestation method of Akira Miyawaki and the techniques of Syntropic Agriculture, created by Ernst Götsch.
Rapid Growth for a Thriving Ecosystem
Our Mini Food Forest model is designed for fast, dense growth. Thanks to the higher density and biodiversity, plants grow taller and faster as they compete for sunlight—up to 10 times faster than in conventional tree plantations.
Immediate Protection & Early Food Production
Wind and Sun Protection: The fast-growing annual plants provide immediate shelter for the perennial species, shielding them from wind and sun exposure.
Food Production: Annual plants will begin producing food in just the first few months, with harvests continuing through the first year.
Building a Rich, Fertile Soil
This Mini Food Forest model also produces a high biomass output that feeds the soil. The frequent chop-and-drop of plant material enhances nutrient cycling, which accelerates growth across the entire system, enriching the ecosystem over time.
Our Mini Food Forests are designed to give you guidance, nurturing your journey into regenerative agriculture with simplicity and abundance.
It will show you different facades as:
1. Your Teacher: Starting small reduces the need for intensive management and resources, granting you more time to observe and understand the evolution of each plant in their unique environment. It's a personalized learning experience tailored to fit your location and climate.
2. Your Plant Nursery: The high-density planting in each Mini Forest makes propagation of various species more accessible. It transforms your space into a vibrant plant nursery, fostering the growth of diverse plants that can then be transplanted, seeded or directly propagated from roots or cuttings into your next Mini Forest implementations.
3. Your Vegetable and Fruit Shop: From the initial months up to 2 years, your Mini Food Forest becomes a source of fresh vegetables. As it matures, you can start collecting berries and fruits, providing you with a perpetual harvest of homegrown food.
4. Your Pharmacy: Beyond delivering high-nutrient foods, helping on the heath of the planet, sequestering carbon, regenerating soil, avoiding erosion and sinking water into the ground, your Mini Food Forest can also serve you with a natural pharmacy through the use of medicinal plants that will enhance your immune system and well-being
5. Your Fertilizer Source: Through constant pruning and laying the leaves, twigs and branches on the forest ground we accelerate nutrient cycling. Is the natural decomposition of those materials that you get from pruning that allows your Mini Forest to become a self-sustaining system, supplying the entire ecosystem with essential nutrients without the need for external fertilizers
6. Your Connection to Nature: Immerse yourself in the beauty of a biodiverse ecosystem, right in your backyard. Your Mini Food Forest is a sanctuary, offering a slice of a healthy forest that can bring you moments of connection and tranquility.
7. Your Link to Like-Minded People: Sharing the experience, the knowledge and surplus produce from your Mini Food Forest can foster the sense of community that the Biggest Mini Forest aims to create, enhancing bonds and connections among the community.
If you're still wondering whether this is the right system for you or not, our advice is simple – start one, and witness firsthand which of these aspects becomes a reality in your unique journey.