Landscaping and Gardening

Ornamental and turf agribusinesses, nurseries, cut flower operations, and other landscaping enterprises create systems that are highly dependent on synthetic inputs and often use unsustainable quantities of water. Ecological management of landscapes through organic agriculture is a nascent, but critical pursuit.

Organic farmers and residents seeking to beautify their properties need better information on how to create landscapes that are diverse, durable, drought-tolerant, and aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, technical support is needed to allow for the expansion and revision of organic standards in this area.

In Canada, efforts are underway to encourage residents to undertake edible landscaping – the incorporation of edible species throughout the landscape. Edible species include a wide diversity of perennial and annual plants. Urban yards use vertical spaces and multi-layered approaches which, on a per-square-foot basis, may provide more food, wildlife habitat and aesthetic interest than typical annual vegetable gardens. People want to learn more about the use of edible landscaping to assist those who are food insecure and to apply them in various settings such as school yards, businesses, apartment complexes, and public spaces.

Research into agricultural landscaping is highly limited and very diverse. The few institutions that are currently undertaking research projects on organic landscaping generally have other dominant research foci. Much room remains for the expansion of research in this concentration area.