To feed the billions of humans currently in existence as well as the billions that are expected in the forthcoming years whilst keeping them healthy, we need to rethink the way we produce our food.

The Permaculture is a man-made, nature-inspired and balanced system. It is agriculture by learning from nature. A system in which farmers learn to cope with transitions like nature does, finding ways to balance itself and allowing for life, growth, bloom, yield and, in turn, death.

In this proposed urban farm, I have created a grid-based system in which a cooperating selection of plants, shrubs and trees is placed: a guild. A single guild works as an individually functioning mini-farm of different species. A combination of many varieties forms a super-farm. It creates an Eden where wilderness and production are in balance. A place where a farm can grow produce sustainably and without the typical brute force of regular agriculture, whilst developing its own balanced ecosystem. The natural succession and the combination of cooperating plants enrich the soil, stabilize the ecosystem and allow for a higher harvest.

The strength of the guilds will be exploited even further by engineered interventions, permaculture PLUS. These interventions can be subtle and lightweight, like a barrier that protects the produce from people passing by, creating shade or enhancing the productivity of the guild. These interventions are scattered both strategically in or around guilds or even randomly across the farm.

In a future where food is grown detached from nature, where people live in cities disconnected from the wilderness – this system of urban farming will contribute to the health of the city’s dwellers. A place to pick your own produce, a place to get lost for a moment, a place to reconnect with nature. A place where urban life can be in balance with nature.