Become a food forest designer
Online training at your own pace with Louis De Jaeger. Organized by Commensalist in collaboration with Food Forest Institute.
YOU CAN NOW ENROLL
The course starts in October 2026
DO YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO DESIGN A FOOD FOREST?
After completing this training, you will be able to make the dream of your food forest and that of others come true.
A certificate to show to your future clients
Our mission is to plant as many food forests in suitable locations around the world as we can. And in order to achieve this we need an army of food forest designers.
It important to be able to show and demonstrate to your potential customers that you have the sufficient knowledge and skills. By completing the online training, you will receive an official FFDC certificate.
The training course that we always dreamed of
Louis De Jaeger has worked closely with the Commensalist® team to perfect his methodology for food forest design.
Years of research, tested against reality, bundled into an online training course with a step-by-step plan, enabling anyone who commits to become a food forest designer in a a year time.
24/7 Online community
When the course starts, you will not be alone, but will be part of a group of like-minded people with the same goals.
We’ll make sure that you get to know all your fellow students and feel comfortable from the get go, as the course includes peer-to-peer learning, where you can learn from each other’s successes and much, much more.
Although you are not alone you will need a bit of self-discipline, luckily you can contact fellow students and ask questions of each other.
Zin in een carrièreswitch?
Q&A
If you are left with any doubts after watching the course videos, then our team will be right behind you to answer all your questions. You just have to look at the course’s Q&A to see if your question has already been answered, and if not, then send us your question using the online community group.
1 year of learning & enjoyment
As a participant, each module will take about one week to complete. Some modules take longer, and others less. Our team has made sure you will have enough time to take all the knowledge and power in.
Interactive video lessons
Learning can be such an incredible and fun thing to do when done right, and that is why we focus on making our video lessons as interesting as possible. With infographics, demonstrations in the field, 3D renders, and much more, the time will fly past, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself enjoying your graduation ceremony.
LOOKING FOR A CAREER CHANGE?
Internship
In order to achieve the ‘Designer’ and ‘Teacher’ qualifications, you’ll have to first complete an internship of at least 10 days at either a food forest or with a natural nut or fruit grower in your area.
Even though this training course is an incredibly in-depth and rewarding experience, you’ll really be able to ingrain your knowledge and skills with a real-world experience.
Challenging assignments
We are known for our dedication to providing quality courses, and that is why we only give certificates to participants that we know are 100% ready for going out and working in the field.
We’ll make sure of this by sending you various interesting yet challenging assignments, as well as continuing to test your knowledge throughout the various modules.
Be part of our designer database
Once you have obtained your certificate, you will be registered on our online database of professional food forest designers.
This will allow future customers in your area to find you as well allowing you to be kept up-to-date with the newest and latest jobs. The first year is free of charge. .
Louis De Jaeger
Founder of Food Forest Design Course
By taking responsibility now, one day you’ll be able to look your grandchildren in the eye and say “I did something.
Maybe you've been dreaming of making your food forest dream come true for some time, but you 're not sure how to get started?
View the course content
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23 modules to enjoy
Module 1 :
Current agricultural and climate issues
1
Module 2 :
Why a food forest?
2
Module 3 :
What is a food forest?
3
Module 4 :
Food forest ethics
4
Module 5 :
Why do you want a food forest?
5
Module 6 :
Rent, buy or borrow land
6
Module 7 :
Mapping your terrain
7
Module 8 :
Observation
8
Module 9 :
Financial planning
9
Module 10 :
The different zones
10
Module 11 :
The scale of permanence
11
Module 12 :
The design structure
12
Module 13 :
Planting distances
13
Module 14 :
Planting examples
14
Module 15 :
Natural planting distances
15
Module 16 :
Plant guilds
16
Module 17 :
The right plant in the right place
17
Module 18 :
Top 100 food forest plants
18
Module 19 :
Soil preparation
19
19
Module 20 :
The planting
20
Module 21 :
Maintenance
21
Module 22 :
Propagating plants
22
Module 23 :
Community & edible landscapes
23
Vergelijk opleidingen
Final assignment: a design to frame
In order to get a certificate that officially recognizes you as a designer, you’ll need to actually be able design food forests for customers. You will do this as the final exercise of course, where you’ll use all the knowledge you’ve acquired to create your very own design.
As all the modules come together during this final assignment, you’ll learn to communicate with customers, observe the terrain on different occasions, choose the right plants and make a planting list, which will allow you to give your customer the complete package for them to get started.
WHAT PARTICIPANTS THOUGHT ABOUT THE COURSE
I am grateful that I was able to attend this wonderful training! Louis is a very authentic and spirited person who exudes incredible energy and his vast knowledge he conveys well.
Heidi
Grand Distinction. That already sets the bar very high for the courses that will follow this one. I learned a lot in a very pleasant setting. Just about all the important aspects were covered. In short, keep up the good work!
Yves
A very extensive and fascinating course in a beautiful setting and with a great group. The content of the lessons was very extensive. I liked the fact that you are immersed in the world of food forests with like-minded people.
Ilja
Clear view of the total picture of a food forest: both the why, what and how. And in a very nice setting, where theory is complemented by insights from experienced food forest implementers. Insights on business model level, implementation level and insights into the functioning of the entire forest ecosystem.
Koen
🌳 Prices
Teacher
- Teaching materials available for 1 year
- Access to Q&A
- Access to the online community
- Certificate of participation
- Monthly online meeting
- Course available as audio files
- Internship assignment
- Design assignment
- Food Forest Designer Certificate
- 1-year profile in designers' database (renewable)
- Intense teacher assignment
- 1-year profile in instructor database (renewable)
For yourself
- Teaching materials available for 1 year
- Access to Q&A
- Access to the online community
- Certificate of participation
- Monthly online meeting
- Course available as audio files
- Internship assignment
- Design assignment
- Food Forest Designer Certificate
- 1-year profile in designers' database (renewable)
- Intense teacher assignment
- 1-year profile in instructor database (renewable)
🌳 FAQs 🌳
The key elements of the course are listed at the top of this page: 23 modules, instructional videos, Q&A, challenging assignments, fun knowledge tests, illustrations to understand the material even better and the FFDC certificate itself if you go for Designer or Teacher.
As a Designer or Teacher, you receive a complete program with a PDF workbook, follow-up, and more than 12 Live & Online sessions: Workshops, Design Studios, and Networking events.
The online meetings are organized by expert & lecturer Mathis Van Renterghem.
As long as the top of the website says: registrations open, you can register.
The intention is that you complete one or more modules every week. You have the opportunity to ask questions about things you do not understand. You will also have to take one or more tests/assignments each time. You can join the private food forest student community daily to ask each other questions. For the Designers, there are concrete objectives and design assignments to obtain the certificate. The Teachers gain access to extra sessions and real-life teaching assignments.
You can follow the online Food Forest Design Course at your own pace. However, we recommend that you invest at least 4 hours per week, so that you can stay up-to-date with the flow of the course.
Some enthusiasm and a drive to learn are the most important things you need. In addition to this, you’ll need a computer, tablet or smartphone with an internet connection as well as a pencil, paper and eraser.
We are 100% convinced that you will see and appreciate the value that this course can give to you. After all, it is the most complete online food forest design course that we know of.
However, if for some reason you do feel that the course is not for you, then we will return the course fee to you after 14 days.
The course is largely based on the book: ‘Design your own food forest’ by Louis De Jaeger. The book will help you understand everything even more structurally, but you can also follow the course perfectly well without the book. Participants get the pdf of this book as a workbook anyway.
Do a 10-day internship in a food forest or an organisation/company that has something to do with food forests (tree nursery, small fruit, …). It is your own responsibility to contact the internship site, fix the internship dates and carry out your internship properly. Here we expect a great effort in self-reliance.
This course is available to students all over the world, however every country has its own laws regarding internships. So always check the rules and regulations in your country to see what is the best way to do it. The only way we can help with your local authorities is by providing a letter to explain the training course.
This is only available to those who are are training for the “Teacher” qualification.
Because the art of teaching is best tested against reality, your final assignment is to teach a lesson during a real live teaching moment. This is exciting! An we'll work towards this together
Intense but fun.
You can always upgrade your course. For example, you can upgrade from “For Yourself” to “Designer” or “Teacher”, or from “Designer” to “Teacher”.
However, it’s not possible to go down a course, unless you decide that the course is not for you within the first 14 days.
This training course is is designed with all the world’s climates in mind. The general principles are applicable everywhere.
We ourselves are located in a temperate climate, which means that most of the course’s focus is on this.
If your terrain/working area is located in a different climate, you can still follow the training. If in doubt, we recommend that you register and start the course, as you’ll have 14 days to change your mind.
As the name implies, this is a food forest design course. So the focus is on design, topics such as plant propagation, maintenance and so on are briefly covered, but are not the scope of this course.
We add everyone who has obtained the Food Forest Design Certificate to a website, so that potential customers can find you more easily.
This is free for the first year. After that, the membership fee is €100 ex. VAT per year. By continuing to be a member, you will have access to the latest updates from the food forest course itself (such as new lessons,…).
Yes! If you want to take this program seriously, it is an intensive course and demands a lot from you.
Those who want the least pressure should take the ‘for yourself’ course. You can follow it entirely at your own pace: anything goes, nothing is mandatory.
If you opt for ‘designer’ or ‘teacher’, this program is tied to assignments and timelines: you will receive various assignments, and the quality requirements for obtaining the certificate are high.
No problem 🙂 Feel free to send an email to info@foodforestinstitute.com and we will reply as soon as possible!
We want to make training as accessible and inclusive as possible. Is budget a big barrier for you and you still want to take the training?
Please contact info@foodforestinstitute.com for more information.
For Yourself
No compulsory assignments. However, optional test questions accompany the modules.
Designer
- Internship: At least 10 days.
- Design: Create a design of a food forest of your choice: your own place, a garden or grounds of friends, family or acquaintances.
- Extra assignments: During the online meetings, we work together on concrete objectives and assignments. You need to prepare some things yourself in order to get the most out of the workshop sessions.
Teacher
- Above assignments + extra: Additional assignments are provided for the Teachers track. You will also be challenged to share knowledge in an inspiring and persuasive way, alongside, of course, a broad range of design skills.
- Live training in Brussels or online
- Final assignment teacher
English 
Nederlands