Philadelphia Orchard Project – Securing Healthy Food and Climate Resiliency

To secure healthy food and climate resiliency, the Philadelphia Orchard Project is testing crops for a warming environment, establishing and growing community orchards, and educating others about sustainable practices in the city of Philadelphia.

This presentation was recorded and can be viewed by clicking the play button below:

Co-Executive Director, Phil Forsyth, presents a summary of the work of the Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP), a non-profit organization that plants and supports community orchards in Philadelphia.  This presentation also explores POP’s efforts to adapt to a changing climate, including via a new high tunnel greenhouse project.  

The Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP) is a nonprofit organization that plants and supports community orchards in the city of Philadelphia.  In partnership with communities, POP envisions urban ecosystems that create beautiful green spaces, connect neighbors, provide hands-on learning experiences, and grow fresh fruit for generations to come.

Since 2007, POP has partnered with community-based groups to plan and plant diverse orchards and food forests filled with useful and edible plants in neighborhoods, supporting 70 partner sites across the city. POP provides orchard design assistance, plant materials, and training in orchard care. Community organizations own, maintain, and harvest the orchards, expanding community-based food production. Orchards are planted in formerly vacant lots, community gardens, schoolyards, and other urban spaces, almost exclusively in low-wealth neighborhoods where people experience limited access to fresh fruit.

Phil Forsyth has led the Philadelphia Orchard Project’s core programs since our first plantings in the spring of 2007 and loves to share his passion for growing fruit and perennial crops with everyone. As Co-Executive Director, he works with staff to design, plant and support orchards, coordinate volunteers, lead educational programs, and oversee development of new infrastructure. Phil has twenty years of experience in urban farming, gardening, and landscaping and currently serves on the National Orchard Advisory Committee of the Giving Grove.