Building Resilient Communities Through Sustainable Food Forests

 

Rev. David Gill with Ark. IPL trainers and interns 
at Providence Park on International Day of Forests

by Scharmel Roussel

“Wisdom requires that we look honestly at how our land, our food, and our policies affect the health of our neighbors,” according to Rose Rains, an intern with Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light working in community gardens and edible orchards.

Rose and other AIPL interns are working to establish food forests, supported by grants from American Forests’ Catalyst Fund and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS). Seven interns attended the national conference of Presbyterians for Earth Care in October 2025 and left with a renewed commitment to sustainable urban agricultural methods that conserve water, protect soil health, add valuable tree canopy coverage, and feed low-wealth neighbors facing profound food insecurity.

“This is not simply an economic issue,” according to Rose. “It is a spiritual and moral issue. When families must choose between medical co-pays and groceries, we must ask whether our systems reflect our values.”

At the PEC Conference, interns met Joyce and James Skeet, who led a workshop on “Soil to Soul Awakening.” Three interns later traveled to the Skeets’ Spirit Ranch in New Mexico for hands-on biochar training. Since the trip, AIPL interns have been working to integrate biochar systems into community gardens in Little Rock, using knowledge gained from the trip, funded by the travel budget provided by the American Forests’ Catalyst Fund grant. Interns are also presenting hands-on biochar workshops for fellow urban farmers through AIPL’s extensive network of growers.

“When we made biochar, we gathered large branches of juniper, ponderosa, and pinyon pine from the surrounding area,” said intern Philip Cottingham about the trip to Spirit Ranch. “This firewood comes from trees deteriorated by rampant beetle damage.”

“Wood burns evenly (in the process),” Philip continued. “When the biochar is removed, it must be inoculated with compost (blended and mixed with compost). The biochar acts as an attractor to microbes, replenishing microbes back into the soil…”

After the New Mexico trip, Rose was inspired to join a March 2026 walk to Washington, D.C., calling for faith-based action on food and public health. Rose set out on a purposeful walk from the historic VERTAC Superfund Site in Jacksonville, Arkansas, to Washington, D.C. The march was a call to re-center national policy around stewardship, nourishment, and the biblical mandate to care for “the least of these.”

“When soil is compromised, food is compromised. When food is compromised, bodies are compromised. And when bodies are compromised, families and communities struggle to flourish. Scripture calls us to stewardship — of land, of people, and of future generations,” Rose said of her symbolic walk.

In Washington, D.C., Rose is asking for:

● Re-evaluation and strengthening of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

 ● National adoption of the Double Up Food Bucks Program, which increases purchasing power for fresh produce

● Broader expansion of fruit and vegetable prescription initiatives nationwide

Rose emphasizes that these efforts are rooted in prevention, not partisanship.

“Churches have long led the way in feeding ministries, food pantries, and benevolence funds,” according to Rose. “What would it look like if our national systems reflected that same heart for nourishment and dignity?”

On March 21, 2026 – International Day of Forests – Rose, Philip, other AIPL interns, and volunteers planted 100 fruit and nut trees at Providence Park and shared another 40 trees with volunteers and neighbors. Additionally, 45 shade trees were planted for canopy. Providence Park is the site of a tiny-home village opening in 2026 to house chronically homeless adults moving off the streets and into permanent homes. Providence Park will have a community kitchen and dining hall for residents, as well as wraparound services, including an on-site clinic for mental health, dental, and other healthcare services.

In preparation for the International Day of Forests, Megan Ruth Wilkins, Educator and Trainer for the American Forests’ Catalyst Fund grant, worked closely with Providence Park staff on preparations that included soil, mulch, irrigation, tree and berry bush orders, tree protectors, garden tools, gloves, first-aid kits, lunch, refreshments, and all the details for a successful event for more than 50 people. Interns mixed biochar tea to nourish trees and prepared a bacterial spray to help trees defend against diseases. The March 21 event received advance local television coverage.

Providence Park will hold a grand opening on May 1. The following week, an interfaith prayer gathering is planned, with prayers and meditations for each tree – one by one.

Similarly, Jimmy Parks, AIPL Urban Agriculture Manager, and Trainer/Intern Kevin Holloway prepared for planting in the vegetable beds and in the pollinator gardens near the edible orchard.

The orchard and vegetable gardens will be part of a food forest at Providence Park, providing vulnerable residents with nutritious, locally grown food produced using sustainable methods. The edible orchard will be surrounded by a living fence of berry bushes on trellises. The American Forests’ Catalyst Fund grant has funded an extensive irrigation system for the edible orchard site.

“For us, the food forest is about caregiving and building relationships,” said Errin Stanger, Founder and CEO of Providence Park. “We are drawn to walk alongside the most vulnerable, and our heart is to serve and care for those most in need. Our vision is to cultivate a community of love and service—growing food, dignity, and connection alongside our formerly chronically homeless neighbors.”

Currently, interns and volunteers are learning about tree equity while planting and maintaining fruit trees, nut trees, and berry bushes. Later, when previously unsheltered residents are ready to learn and work, they may also gain employable nursery skills. Workforce development is part of the intention at Providence Park.

AIPL supports vegetable gardens, edible orchards, and food forests at more than 20 locations in low-wealth areas of Pulaski and Faulkner counties in Central Arkansas.

AIPL employs more than 20 part-time trainers and interns. AIPL earned the 2026 “Restoring Creation” award from PEC. A webinar titled “Canopy of Creation: Trees, Faith, and the Work of Justice” was offered to a national audience on March 16.

Scharmel Roussel is Executive Director of Arkansas InterFaith Power & Light.