Restoring Eden was established in March 2024 by Michelle Heap. Twenty years prior, while on a mission trip to Brazil, she worked on a building project at an orphanage. During her time there, she noticed a plot of dead plants and inquired with the director about it. He explained that a group had come to plant a garden to help provide food for the children. However, when the dry season arrived, they could not afford the water, and everything died. Not long after that, the orphanage closed.

After studying nutrition for many years and recognizing the flaws in the food system, Michelle became determined to grow nutrient-dense food for her family. While researching various methods, she discovered permaculture and realized that if a self-sustaining permaculture food forest had been established for the orphanage, they would still have had access to food. It was then that she knew she wanted to design these systems for others as a solution to combat food insecurity. Michelle enrolled at Oregon State University to become certified in sustainable landscape design and permaculture, and she has been designing sites for over ten years.

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Food insecurity is a pressing issue in Iowa, affecting approximately 9-10% of households, which equates to around 300,000 individuals, including a significant number of children. The rate of food insecurity among children is particularly concerning, with estimates indicating that about 12-15% of children live in food-insecure households. Factors such as economic challenges, unemployment, and rising living costs contribute to this problem, making it essential for organizations like Restoring Eden to address these needs through sustainable practices. By providing access to nutrient-dense food and educational resources, Restoring Eden aims to alleviate food insecurity and empower the community.

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Restoring Eden aims not only to combat food insecurity but also to address the challenges faced by young people interested in entering the agricultural market. Traditional farming practices often require large tracts of land and significant infrastructure investments, making it difficult for aspiring farmers to get started. However, through permaculture and regenerative farming, it is possible to achieve profitability with just a small area of land by stacking functions and utilizing holistic principles.

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Since World War II and the industrialization of agriculture, the nutrient density of our food has declined dramatically. Alarmingly, our number one export by metric ton is topsoil. The use of herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers has detrimental effects on soil biology. While chemical fertilizers focus on a few primary elements—nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK)—both we and the plants that produce our food require a broader range of nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, boron, and iron, to maintain health and resist disease. As our soils become depleted, the nutritional quality of our food diminishes. If essential nutrients are absent from the soil, plants cannot absorb them, resulting in nutrient-deficient food. Studies indicate that it would take five apples today to match the nutrient content of one apple from 50 years ago. On average, store-bought produce can lose up to 50% of its nutritional value during its growing stages due to chemical usage or during transportation. The decline in nutritional value has significantly increased over the past 50 to 70 years (Bhardwaj, Raju Lal et al. “An Alarming Decline in the Nutritional Quality of Foods: The Biggest Challenge for Future Generations' Health.” Foods (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 13, no. 6, 877, 14 Mar. 2024).

Restoring Eden aims to address these pressing issues by teaching permaculture and regenerative farming practices, growing nutrient-dense food for the community and non-profits year-round, creating employment and income opportunities, and providing avenues for individuals to engage with nature.