STRATEGY & PLANNING. Budget & Funding Plan.

Budget and Funding Process.

Food forests have a very different budgeting and funding structure to other green spaces such as parks and public forests. In a typical forest and parkland budget 5% is dedicated to community engagement, 5% for maintenance and the remaining 90% goes towards capital improvements such as land moving, irrigation, planting, remediation and demolition works. In this scenario the majority of the budget is spent in the initial planting phase over the first 6 months to 1 year.

The food forest requires a lot more community engagement and maintenance as a parkland or typical forest due to the need for replanting, pruning, watering and harvesting activities. In the food forest the budget is split more equally between these factors, around 33% each. This means the budget for the food forest is spread over a longer period and includes funding for continued maintenance and planting activities.

It is important for the food forest to have a lead financing stakeholder, whether this is through fundraising and an NGO or through private capital financing, in the case of Il Bosco Mangericcio, the majority of funding comes from the partnering company Cortilia who’s Head quarters are located adjacent to the site. Cortilia provide funding for the initial funding works, employ forest rangers to lead and organise maintenance and planting activities and marketing and community engagement.

The incentive for Cortilia is the potential to expand their Corporate Social Responsibility strategy and as part of their marketing strategy. The main funding from Cortilia is then supported by crowd funding and donations from the local community and maintenance and harvesting activity costs are reduced by utilising local volunteers and community engagement events. The land is provided by the local municipality in exchange for community activities and improvements on local biodiversity and green spaces.

Initial Planting (6 months-1 year)

The majority of the initial budget is consumed by the purchase of the initial plants and trees. This could range between €30,00-90,000 depending on the number of plants and initial purchase costs. The other portions of the budget are split between site remediation works including hardscaping, fencing, planting activities, soil preparation and the design process. This may range from €3200-10,000.

Maintenance and Continuous Planting (2+ years)

In order to maintain the site a budget is required to fund maintenance activities including watering, pruning and mowing. In the case of Il Bosco Mangericcio, 1-2 employees would be hired by Cortilia to lead these activities, costing between €20,000-30,000 per year. Other activities are community engagement activities costing around €20,000 per year, and new plants may cost around €10,000-15,000.

Crowd-funding and Donations from the Local Community

Funding for Initial Plants, Trees and Crops

Ranging between €1-€30 per plant.

Estimated 1000-3000 plants needed for 9000sqm site

Cortilia (as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility & Marketing Strategy)

Funding for site demolition, remediation and hardscaping and planting works.

Estimated between €3200-10,000 for small-medium sites

Cernusco Sul Naviglio Municipality & Local Administration

Provision of the land and associated administration costs.

Potential to mediate a deal with the local council to provide the land and admin costs for free in exchange for community events and benefits

Volunteers and engagement to aid in maintenance and harvesting.

Estimated 250hours per year of harvesting activities.

Maintenance, watering, pruning and bulk harvesting. Continuous funding for annual and biennial crops. Estimated €640 per year in admin, €640 in marketing and €2500 in materials.

Continued permission granted to the site, as well as engagement with the local community.

Establish a sustainable model for food forestry in a suburban area and industrial periphery.

Collaborating with Cortillia, a local fruit and vegetable delivery service with a focus on avoiding food waste, as part of their community engagement strategy.

Providing an education space for local schools from which they can learn and recreate food forestry in their own greenspaces.

Providing additional, pesticide free habitat for pollinators within a heavily agricultural zone, through implementing biodiverse planting strategies.

Mitigating noise and air pollution from the adjacent metro line and motorway through strategic planting.

Expanding the growing urban food forestry network local to Milan alongside others such as Parco Nord and CasciNet.

Increasing awareness and education on food forestry through workshops and events with local people and owners of local businesses.

Creating a green corridor between the existing green spaces of Cernusco sul Naviglio and Cassina de’ Pecchi.

Utilising the partnership with Cortillia to provide financing for both the initial planting and maintenance of the food forest

Selecting both native and typical Lombardian species as part of a seasonal planting schedule to ensure year-round productivity.