Food Forests Ireland | Nature-based solutions for resilient communities and sustainable food systems

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Who We Are

Food Forests Ireland is a national, environmental and education charity, working alongside schools and communities across Ireland to build food system resilience.

Education is at the heart of Food Forests Ireland's work and collaborating with universities throughout Ireland has been a key element in the design, implementation and impact measurement of our food forest education programmes.

Our Education Programmes

FFI programmes include our curriculum-linked primary schools programme, and our community education programme. Through these FFI enables groups to design and plant small food forests, combining practical learning with environmental action, giving people the skills to grow food, increase biodiversity and create greener, more resilient communities. By bringing together communities, educators, local authorities, businesses, civic society organisations and environmental groups, we help create lasting spaces that benefit both people and nature.

Our most recent community programme is the Infrastructure Enabled Edible Landscape (IEEL). The pilot IEEL Community Food Forest Programme began in Westport in collaboration with Westport Tidy Towns and Trinity College Dublin - School of Education. This pilot programme has expanded to schools and villages along the Great Western Greenway (GWG), icluding Mulranny and InishTurk and more recently to Newport and Clare Island.

Further expansion of the IEEL is underway in towns and communities throughout Ireland. Locations include the Royal Canal Greenway at TUD (Blanchardstown) and in Carlow along the Barrow Way, in collaboration with County Carlow Environmental Network (CCEN) and Carlow County Council.

Additional IEEL projects are in development throughout Ireland.

Schools' Programme

What Is A Food Forest?

A food forest is a layered, self-sustaining ecosystem, modelled on natural forests but designed to produce food, fuel, and other useful products. It includes a mix of edible trees, shrubs, herbs, and groundcover plants that work together to regenerate the land, increase biodiversity, and provide sustainable yields for communities.

We have been planting edible landscapes or food forests with school and community groups as a means of creating awareness of food system resilience. We work with those partners to help them design, plant and care for food forests across Ireland.

Founded in 2018 and registered as a charity in 2023, Food Forests Ireland was honoured with the 2025 National Climate Action Award for our innovative work.

Explore Our Education Programmes

Why We Are Circular by Nature

Nature is circular. In healthy ecosystems, nutrients cycle, nothing is wasted, and life regenerates. Our food forests follow these principles — restoring soil health, producing food, supporting biodiversity, and creating local circular economies. We teach communities to work with nature, not against it.

Latest Updates from FFI

Discover inspiring stories and project updates from communities across Ireland:

September 2026

September was an action filled month for Food Forests Ireland. Through new partnerships, vital funding and educational rollouts, we are continuing to turn national climate objectives into immediate localised action. Expanding Communities Dublin: Launched our first Infastructure Enabled Edible Landscape (IEEL) workshop at Technological University Dublin (Blanchardstown) in collaboration with GAP Ireland, as part of the Communicating Europe Initiative supported by the Departmen

August 2026

August has been another great month for Food Forests Ireland! Dublin South 93.9FM Caithriona McCarthy took to the airwaves with Dublin South 93.9FM's Green Radio, discussing how Food Forests Ireland's structured eco-literacy programmes replace climate anxiety with actionable, regional skills. Listen back on https://lnkd.in/dEmgN3AE Technological University of Dublin As part of the Communicating Europe Initiative supported by the Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland, we v

July 2026

July was an incredible month for Food Forests Ireland, with a focus on education, capacity building and training. We started the month with a visit from the Epale Ireland team and other educators to Westport, for a food forest workshop, where we demonstrated how public spaces can become "living classrooms" Next, we delivered a hands-on breakout session in Ballina at The Mary Robinson Climate and Nature Conference on "Delivering Real Climate Action through Systems Thinking and

June 2026

Beautiful video coverage from TG4 Nuacht Cula4 showing primary school children from Inishturk Island hard at work planting their very own food forest and taking their first steps towards building Food System Resilience on the island. This is part of Food Forests Ireland's - Infrastructure Enabled Edible Landscape (IEEL) - along the Great Western Greenway.

May 2026

Food Forests Ireland features on Nationwide this month of May. Tune into the link below, see coverage of our Fr Angelus Park food forest and listen to those who helped create - and now enjoy - it! From minute 16. https://www.rte.ie/player/series/nationwide/SI0000001172?epguid=IH10016303-26-0051

April 2026

Ireland's learning sector is more than just education - it's a movement. Food Forests Ireland's Caithriona McCarthy was thrilled to present our Adult Education Programme alongside other award-winning projects and global Erasmus+ journeys at the EPALE Ireland National Day in Sligo on April 22nd.