Cultivating Biodiversity in Urban Orchards
We’re excited to share a guest blog post by Ilyse Putz, Giving Grove Program Manager at Grow North Texas, on the importance of cultivating biodiversity in urban orchards. Discover how these green spaces, managed by The Giving Grove teams across the nation, can transform fragmented urban landscapes into thriving ecosystems that benefit both nature and local communities.
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Written by Ilyse Putz, Giving Grove Program Manager at Grow North Texas
Monoculture farming of soybeans
Monoculture Farming
I grew up witnessing the ways of monoculture farming like many rural Midwesterners do. The choices were primarily soybeans or dent corn, forming a patchwork across the land interspersed with alfalfa to feed livestock. None of it was meant to feed people directly. Dealing with the problems from this way of farming meant crop dusters and anhydrous applications among other interventions- none of which helped for long.
Millions of pounds of soil washed away with fertilizer and pesticides into rivers, stripping the resources beneath the farmers’ feet. There was limited discussion about diverse farming practices to cultivate an increased biodiversity. Today the conversation has been awakened with threats of adverse weather stemming from climate change.
Facing Uncertainty
Yet, the urban environment can amplify adverse weather to a new extreme. Temperatures range far above the rural counterpart due to the heat island effect. Similarly, impervious surfaces such as asphalt and concrete create flooding due to rainwater runoff. Soil structure in urban environments also lends to flooding.
Across the globe, whether in rural or urban settings, people who work the land face uncertainty about the coming seasons. This raises an important question: How can adversity be addressed through diversity?
Benefits of Biodiversity
Biodiversity, or biological diversity, encompasses the variety and abundance of life forms, including those below and above ground. Research indicates that greater diversity in aboveground flora corresponds with increased diversity in belowground fauna (Zhang et al., 2022).
Ecosystem services provide a way to understand the "value" of biodiversity. In agriculture, the focus is often on provisional services like food and forage. However, cultural, regulating, and supporting services are also important.
Urban and suburban spaces contribute to habitat loss and fragment green areas with housing and roadways. Manicured lawns, for example, are green spaces that lack biodiversity and ecosystem services.
By planting a variety of fruiting plants—such as pears, figs, jujubes, pawpaws, and berries—an urban orchard can cultivate a biodiverse ecosystem. These fruiting plants offer not only regulating and supporting services but also cultural services. Given the diverse backgrounds of people in (sub-)urban areas, it is important to consider the cultural significance of trees for the community. While figs, pomegranates, apples, and grapes are significant to certain faith communities, Asian pears and jujubes might hold importance for immigrants from Korea, China, and other Asian countries.
Practices within biodiverse spaces also support these goals. For example, trees are often mulched with wood chips, which help prevent weed growth, retain moisture, and regulate soil temperature. As this mulch breaks down, it enriches the soil with organic matter. Organic matter provides food for beneficial soil organisms, such as bacteria and fungi. One notable group of fungi, mycorrhizae, enhance plants’ nutrient and water uptake, while the plants supply the fungi with carbon.
Incorporating holistic spraying methods in an urban orchard can further enhance biodiversity by promoting a balanced ecosystem. Unlike traditional chemical approaches that target specific pests or diseases, holistic spraying focuses on nurturing the natural interactions between plants, insects, and microorganisms. This approach not only contributes to a richer biodiversity within the urban orchard but also aligns with the principles of sustainable agriculture, creating a more harmonious environment for all forms of life.
In summary,
Orchards can serve as small biodiversity havens within fragmented urban landscapes. Variations in flowering times, flower shapes, root structures, and genetic diversity contribute to the biodiversity of urban orchards. To further this goal, consider not only the provisional ecosystem services but also how to best support all forms of life within the orchard.
References & Further Reading
Zhang, Y., Peng, S., Chen, X., & Chen, H. Y. (2022). Plant diversity increases the abundance and diversity of soil fauna: A meta-analysis. Geoderma, 411, 115694.
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (https://teebweb.org/)
World Wildlife Fund (https://wwf.org)
Soil Food Web (https://www.soilfoodweb.com/)