Agroecology and landscape design: Phoebe Lickwar's experience

In her work, Phoebe Lickwar, Director of FORGE Landscape Architecture, views agriculture as a form of design. The researcher points to the historical connection between agrotechnics and landscape architecture, noting that farming practices have long shaped the appearance of territories, despite this interaction often being overlooked in modern practice. Lickwar’s research focuses specifically on Italian agrarian traditions, which existed from the Etruscan era to the period of post-war mechanization. Historical farming systems in this region were closed-loop polyculture cycles based on the principles of interdependence and resource renewability, without the use of external inputs.

Lickwar emphasizes the importance of agroecology as a tool for addressing contemporary environmental, economic, and social challenges, including climate change issues. According to the expert, landscape architecture possesses a unique potential for creating multifunctional spaces that integrate educational, conservation, and production programs. Examples of successful implementation of such approaches include the Shenyang Architectural University projects, where rice paddies are integrated into the university campus, and the work of Winslow Farms Conservancy, which focuses on land reclamation through the organization of regenerative farming cycles.

A separate place in the discussion is occupied by the issue of introducing agriculture into the urban environment. The specialist identifies a number of barriers hindering the development of urban farming, including a lack of infrastructure, soil pollution, restrictive zoning regulations, and the perception of agricultural production in the city as a non-essential element of landscaping. Nevertheless, historical experience, particularly the transformation of spaces into victory gardens during World War II, proves the possibility of overcoming these limitations. Lickwar calls on designers to study the theory, history, and practice of agronomy more deeply in order to create architecturally unique and professionally organized agricultural spaces that meet the challenges of the future.