Yes, convert that lawn! Two plants worth considering are Prunus persica ‘Kernechter vom Vorgebirge’ and Amelanchier × lamarckii. I’ve heard great things about them, but they were growing in SW Germany, so do your own research first. What do you use for a ground cover? Clover can be a valuable ally in the fight against the grass.

That is an impressive agroforestry system. :) Which chestnut species do you grow?

You have a ton of potential in South Florida! (Until sea level rise floods everything, of course.) Will you add more fruit trees? The nurseries in your area have some amazing options. Which mangos and avocados do you grow? I’m curious about the quality of ‘Monroe’ and ‘Oro Negro’ avocados.

It’s strange what’s happening with your avocados. Do you know if the bloom timing of avocados in your area has changed at all? If they were previously getting pollinated by trees that now bloom at different times, then that could explain the lack of fruits.

If it’s a choice between banana and grass, I recommend banana 100%. Pine Island and Excalibur both sold Dwarf Namwah last I checked, and that should be very productive. Excalibur also sells FHIA-18, which doesn’t taste so much like banana. I recently posted about it here, though the linked PDF is in spanish.

Off to a good start! Do you know what else you want to add? Forelle pear might be worth considering for your area, but do your own research.

Sounds like you’ve got a great thing going! Maintaining fertility by mulching with cut vegetation and composting “waste” is really important. How big is your fruit forest? Do you plan to diversify further and fill up the field? How small do you plan to keep the trees? I’ve found that pruning tall trees with a pole saw is really tedious and exhausting. Do you have a particular method that’s easier?

Nature is a horrible place, but every animal deserves to be free. Perhaps it’s the concept of freedom that people have trouble accepting. Until someone manages to design an improved version that functions without hunger and disease and predation, natural forests are still the superior habitat.

a berry pie without any sugar but what’s already in the berries shouldn’t be too bad.

Wolves have been observed to subsist on almost exclusively blueberries during the height of the season in Yellowstone, so I’d say the glyphosate residue in the flour is much more of a risk than whatever fruit is in the middle.

THIS is the actual definition of Veganism, directly from the people who coined the term:

That definition is from 1988, so it’s questionable whether it came “directly from the people who coined the term” in 1944. Here is a re-publication of the 1951 Leslie Cross definition:

“The object of the Society shall be to end the exploitation of animals by man” and “The word veganism shall mean the doctrine that man should live without exploiting animals.”

Allegedly someone read The World Peace Diet (by Will Tuttle) to Donald Watson on his deathbed, and Donald Watson said that the book encompassed everything that he intended when he founded the Vegan Society. Make of that what you will.

Probably ‘Silk’, AKA Latundan, from the Philippines.

Not all, but yes, some components are inevitably lost in the drying process. There’s a reason that dried fruit is often treated with sulphur dioxide as a preservative. Of course, preserving the colour doesn’t prevent the loss of large amounts of essential nutrients like vitamin C. Fresh is best whenever possible.

“Non-native grass removal” indeed. Life would be so much easier if people didn’t plant grass in the first place!

“I tried planting, but the goats ate everything,” says Maria Kanyere, a widow raising three children. “I don’t have time to fence them off.”

Domesticated animals are the bane of reforestation projects worldwide. Simply planting trees is not enough; there needs to be an ethical shift among the population of the area in order to ensure long-term success of both the reforestation project itself and efforts to mitigate climate change and food insecurity.

Convert the pasture lands to syntropic food forests and native forests, and then the birds and other native animals will have a place to live again.

Did you ever find an answer to this re: reforestation projects? Could be useful to relocate termites in order to introduce the microbes to grasslands.

I remember reading a few years back that about half of the total world production of palm oil goes to “livestock” feed, but I cannot find the source now.

Someone has to be the first.

The article is definitely lacking details about the Moche and Chimu cultures. The coast of Peru has a history of severe droughts and floods and landslides and earthquakes, yet these people had advanced irrigation systems and managed to live in such an environment for centuries. From what I understand, it’s the communal management and temporary nature of the irrigation infrastructure that differs from modern methods, but the how of managing it and moving it over time is left out. If anyone knows more, perhaps they can comment here.

Have you ever been a-wanderin’
out in the great outdoors
when suddenly you feel a little
movement in your drawers?
And from your life’s experience,
you know that that ain’t good.
'cause all you see around you
is just rocks and grass and wood?
And in your mind you’re thinkin’
toilet paper’d be the best,
‘cause the way this thing is feelin’,
it could be a great big mess?
And all that you can think is
“What the hell am I gonna do?”
But fortunately nature
has a solution just for you!

Oh, the Toilet Paper Plant
is a magical thing!
When you wipe your butt with it,
it makes you wanna sing!
Probably the softest leaves
that you have ever seen!
And when you’re done, your derriere
is so damn super clean!

Well I thank GOD, ALLAH,
and BABY JESUS too
for Toilet Paper Plants
when we really gotta poo!
'Cause when you’re in an emergency,
and there’s no water to be found,
you thank the lord up above
for Toilet Paper Plants around!

Oh, the Toilet Paper Plant
is a magical thing!
When you wipe your butt with it,
it makes you wanna sing!
Probably the softest leaves
that you have ever seen!
And when you’re done, your derriere
is so damn super clean!

And if you think savin’ your underwear
is all that it can do,
close your eyes and realise,
I got better news for you!
The Toilet Paper Plant
makes a tasty little fruit,
like tiny little blueberries
that give you a little toot!
And if you feel another one
comin’ down the pipe,
congratulations for discoverin’
the greatest cycle of life!

'Cause the Toilet Paper Plant
is a magical thing!
When you wipe your butt with it,
it makes you wanna sing!
Probably the softest leaves
that you have ever seen!
And when you’re done, your derriere
is SO
DAMN
SUUUU
PERRR
CLEEEEEEAN!

…That song is about Miconia crenata, but it’s relevant to the spirit of the article if not the letter.

(FYI, planting Miconia crenata outside of its native range is generally considered a Really Bad Idea™. Find a native toilet paper plant for your area!)

Doesn’t need to be a desert. Anywhere that has a dry season with lower humidity should work regardless of total annual precipitation.

And borax, to keep the termites from eating it.