Did you know?
The Southside Food Forest model has been recognized by the United Nations for scalability & replicability, actively elevating 10 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals as a specially-accredited invitee for the historic United Nations Summit of the Future (ECOSOC + UNFCCC recognized) & was invited as a presenting organization for United Nations COP29 & United Nations CSW NGO Beijing+30 Forum on the climate for ‘‘How Music & the Arts are Empowering Community-Driven Climate Solutions, Intergenerational Leadership & the Achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals’’
We dare to match creative ambition with real world solutions for impact critical sustainable solutions for the restoration of biodiversity and access to fresh nurturing food systems and sources of life.
Youth founded and driven by community-led global partnerships , we dare to innovate, care, and uplift across generations, regions, ecosystems and cultures through shared vision of creativity in nature-based solutions, permaculture education and the arts.
We are bold innovators, sustainability practitioners and creatives honoring the wisdoms of our elders, ancestors, and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge systems through permaculture to foster biocultural belonging, resilience and leadership.
Help us to create meaningful impact together. Impact invest today.
How we started…
Southside Food Forest | Winston-Salem, NC, USA
Southside Food Forest model is a community garden, intergenerational learning & recreation hub minutes from downtown Winston-Salem in an area food desert. For the past five years, intergenerational & cross sector efforts by community members have planted fruit trees, herbs, flowers & berry bushes for the benefit of the community & ecosystem. Our members believe that eliminating food deserts in urban areas is essential to self-reliance & achieving prosperous, sustainable communities.
The Boy and Girl Scouts, Hispanic League, Arts Council of Winston-Salem Forsyth County, Spark Community WS, Piedmont Environmental Alliance, Winston-Salem State University, Young ECOS, Wake Forest University, International Human Rights Consortium, Sacred Spiral Holistics, DOSE Artist Collective, Activate Entertainment Winston-Salem Fashion Week, Sustainable Fashion Week US, Appalachian State University, Salem College, NC Cooperative Extension & more
...have ALL used this space for events, workshops, gatherings, internships, Eagle Scout Projects, & academic credit.
@southsidefoodforestwsnc
How its going…
Growing across borders: Nakivale | Uganda
Southside Food Forest is proud to grow alongside a sister regenerative initiative in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda, in partnership with RADMIR (Refugees Association of Disability and Marginalized Rights).
Led locally by Olivier Mayange—a climate refugee, human rights defender, artist, permaculture designer, and Southside Food Forest board member—the initiative brings together permaculture, food sovereignty, ecological restoration, art, education, and community resilience.
Our relationship is rooted in reciprocity rather than charity: two communities in different landscapes learning from one another and exploring how locally led regeneration can strengthen relationships between people, food, culture, land, and belonging.
Winston-Salem ↔ Nakivale
Different landscapes. Shared roots. Growing belonging from the ground up. 🌱.
@southsidefoodforestwsnc CLick here for Plants and Map
Trees:
Black walnut*
pecan*
eucalyptus
pear
mulberry*
fig*
peach*
plum*
nectarine
apricot
pomegranate (seasonal addition in pot)
ginkgo (year round in pot)
persimmon
cherry
apple (multiple varieties)*
goumi
Shrubs:
elderberry*
blueberry*
blackberry*
milkweed*
hibiscus*
roses
raspberry
gogi berry
Vines:
muscadine grape*
passion fruit*
Malabar spinach
vining strawberry
Flowers:
sunflower*
verbena*
bee balm*
eastern columbine*
calendula*
cosmos*
white clover*
wild aster*
irises*
dandelion*
daffodil*
chrysanthemum*
black eyed susans*
evening primrose
nasturim
marigolds
snapdragon
strawflower
zinnias
Herbs:
mint
bee balm *
lavender
thyme
rosemary
mugwort *
ginger
turmeric
comfrey
red+white yarrow *
chamomile
goldenrod*
echinacea*
st. johns wort
chives
borage
lemon grass
Ground covers:
clover*, crimson and dutch white
creeping thyme
strawberry
plantain*
wild violet*
Etc:
walking onion
yucca
prickly pear
rainbow chard
romaine
kale
* indicates a native plant