A Resilience Food Forest is a layered, community-centered natural space designed to restore, nourish, and strengthen individuals and communities during times of crisis, grief, or recovery. It is a human-ecological system rooted in principles of regenerative agriculture, nature therapy, and therapeutic gardening, fostering emotional healing, shared meaning, and active connection to the land.
These spaces serve as hubs for mental health support and communal regeneration, offering living, restorative encounters between people and place. They rebuild our most fundamental connection—to the earth—as a pathway to personal, familial, and regional resilience.
Even before the events of October 7th, early models of therapeutic community farms had begun to emerge across Israel, serving youth at risk, individuals with mental health challenges, and people with special needs. One such pioneer was “Ya’ara – A Place to Grow,” a groundbreaking partnership with the Gvanim Association that remains a living model of healing agriculture, community engagement, and emotional resilience.
Since the beginning of the decade, Reforest has been leading the development of therapeutic food forests and healing landscapes across Israel. Each initiative is co-designed with local partners from the fields of therapy, education, and social work, carefully adapted to the land, community, and context. These projects offer places of hope, meaning, and renewed growth—for people and for the land.
The Projects
Rimon Farm | Restoring Youth Through the Land
An ecological youth farm in the northern Negev offering an alternative framework of healing and growth for teenagers. Since 2023, the farm also supports community-wide resilience efforts, combining therapeutic agriculture with educational programs and agritourism.
Lahav Farm | Healing Through Land and Connection
A therapeutic–agricultural center for veterans and trauma survivors in the northern Negev. Combines land-based rehabilitation with mental health support and community-building. Named in memory of Liran Mons Almosnino z”l, who inspired its founding.
Tel Gamma Farm | Growing Roots of Community Resilience
A new community farm in planning near Tel Gamma, designed to serve the residents of Eshkol Regional Council through agriculture, education, and emotional recovery.
Or HaNer Farm | Healing and Renewal in the South
A community-based healing farm being built for residents of Sha’ar HaNegev and Sderot, combining therapeutic agriculture with shared renewal.
Shkef Farm | Community Healing in the Forest
A therapeutic community farm established in Amatzia Forest for trauma survivors and evacuees from the Western Negev. Offers healing days, ecological agriculture, and group experiences. Reforest led the full planning of the farm and supports its ongoing development.
Forest of Renewal, Shuva
A community food forest in the Gaza border region, dedicated to healing, remembrance, and strengthening local resilience. Co-created with the Pandel family and built by volunteers from Israel and abroad, the forest offers therapeutic and educational programs, nature-based healing, and serves as a living space for collective growth and hope.
Tanadam Resilience Garden
A therapeutic community space in Gedera, developed in partnership with Friends by Nature. Located within the Wujd Community Garden, the project brings together adults and Ethiopian elders for collaborative work in agriculture, intergenerational exchange, and community healing. A one-dunam food forest is being co-designed and implemented by program participants, cultivating resilience from the soil up.
