Orange trees are everywhere in Jaffa. So are grapes, loquats, and olives. The city is giving away free fruit trees so the entire city will be an edible urban forest
The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality continues to distribute trees – and the most recent call was for Jaffa. “We invite you to join the project and plant a fruit tree in the garden of your residential building,” says the message sent out by the city a few weeks ago. The city of Tel Aviv has decided that its residents will grow an edible forest among the gardens of apartment buildings and shared spaces. There are already Whatsapp groups and apps that share with locals where they can harvest and forage. The joys of urban foraging are now going to expand.
This tree distribution is part of the city’s climate change preparedness and urban forest plan, aiming to plant 100,000 trees across the city by 2030. We highlighted Tel Aviv in this study of AI and urban greenery from MIT.
Trees in urban areas play a crucial role – they provide shade, can lower temperatures by about 5 degrees, purify the air, support the ecosystem, and more. The trees we plant today will provide us with delicious fruits in the coming years, offering a source of nutritious and accessible food right outside our homes.
There are already a number of edible trees planted throughout Tel Aviv and Jaffa. It’s not hard to find citrus, loquats, mulberries and olives. Now the city will provide a variety of fruit trees for free: (citrus, loquat, plum, fig, mulberry, guava – subject to availability), compost, and guidance on planting and tree care.
Some trees like olive do not require a lot of watering. Trees like mango, do, and are not part of the program.
“Your part will be to plant the tree near the fence so it provides shade to the nearby sidewalk, send us a photo of the newly planted tree, water it, take care of it, and enjoy a green garden with delicious fruits,” writes the city.
Tree distribution will take place during February. The exact pickup location and date will be provided later. Note, trees will not be distributed under this project for addresses where urban renewal or building permits are planned within the next 5 years. The initiative will be implemented gradually in different neighborhoods across the city.
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Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist and publisher that founded Green Prophet to unite a prosperous Middle East. She shows through her work that positive, inspiring dialogue creates action that impacts people, business and planet. She has published in thought-leading newspapers and magazines globally, owns an IoT tech chip patent, and is part of teams that build world-changing products to make agriculture and our planet more sustainable. Reach out directly to [email protected]
