Silvopasture in the Forest Garden:

One of the most critical elements in a silvopasture system is to have an intentional rotation of grazing so that the livestock are not completely depleting one area of the land. The process allows the animals to feed off the freshest and most nutritious forage, leading to more active and healthy livestock. At the same time, their manure recycles nutrients back into the grazed land.

Silvopasture is a less widespread practice with Forest Garden farmers as the gardens they are cultivating are not large enough to allow for livestock to roam within them. If farmers were interested in exploring silvopasture in the Forest Garden, working with rotational poultry or rabbit systems might be the most successful strategy. For other livestock, farmers work with cut and carry systems, which will be explored in next week’s AWOW.