Forest Farms and Permaculture

In this course, we celebrate diversity as a cultivation method, combining layered forest gardens with annual and perennial crops in beautiful harmony.

Using Vestjyllands Højskole’s forest gardens and our apple field with alley cropping as a starting point, we will explore different forms of agroforestry and regenerative alternatives to conventional agriculture.

We will harvest berries and fruits, prune trees and shrubs, design plant communities (guilds), and nourish our trees and crops with compost extracts and ground cover. We will look back to the common sense practices of traditional farming while also exploring technological opportunities for working more regeneratively in the future.

In addition, we will discuss food systems, food communities, and self-sufficiency, and gain a deeper understanding of permaculture ethics and principles, learning to work with nature rather than against it.