Miracle Orchard Workshop One Paragraph Summary

This workshop features the innovative work of Stefan Sobkowiak of the Miracle Orchard. The Miracle Orchard is an orchard model that involves a diverse array of species - instead of a single crop - that promotes natural pest control, natural fertility, biodiversity increase, and economica feasibility. The unique feature is that by involving a rich polyculture of diverse plants, and by creating a habitat for other useful species - a low-maintenance ecosystem can be created. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn the concept and techniques of designing and growing an orchard like this - whether for a backyard or on a farm scale. The goal is to have 1000 people do this on 1000 hectares in 50 countries around the world. OSE intends to be the first replication of the Miracle Orchard in the United States, and we invite others who are interested in joining this group of pioneers to reinvent how orchards can provide local food. Open Source Ecology's goal is to make the technical knowhow accessible - by creating blueprints and templates that are share freely across the globe. To further the development of Miracle Orchards worldwide, Open Source Ecology will introduce its Open Source Nursery initiative, a global collaborative effort to identify plants, sources, and propagation methods that will allow such orchards to be installed at much lower costs with more precise choices of adapted plant varieties.