Loving Females

I like females. And let me tell you why.

Not just the women who raise civilizations, lead households, and spark revolutions. I’m talking about female trees. The fruit-bearers, the seed-givers, the unsung heroines of ecosystems.

But here’s the thing: our cities are basically giant sausage parties… for trees.

No joke. I walked around Atlanta (where I live) and had that classic founder moment:
"Wait, this is a massive problem nobody’s talking about." Not only is it boring, boring, boring, but it is a failed policy disaster.

Most urban trees are literally male. Not in a Twitter bio way. Biologically.

The Wild Tree Gender Imbalance You Never Noticed

Let’s break it down like I’m explaining it to my mom:

Many trees have sexes.
The female ones make fruits, nuts, seeds—actual food.
The male ones? They just drop pollen bombs that make you sneeze, wheeze, and load up on antihistamines.

In the 1950s, city planners decided female trees were “too messy” and started planting mostly male trees. Yes, this is real. Yes, it still affects us today.

The data is wild:

• Up to 97% of street trees in some cities are male
• More male trees = more pollen = more allergies, asthma, and health disparities
• Female trees? Could literally be feeding people and cleaning the air

This phenomenon even has a name: “botanical sexism.” Hilarious as a band name. Dead serious as a public health crisis.

Global Tree Gender Gap (Or: Why the Global South Is Winning)

Now here’s where it gets beautifully ironic.

While Western cities obsess over tidy sidewalks, countries across the Global South have always embraced the chaos of fruiting, life-giving female trees.

In my travels building products and chasing inspiration, I’ve seen:

• Market neighborhoods in Guinea, Conakry cultivating entire economies around female mango and coconut trees
• Women-led forest user groups in Nepal managing 40% of the country’s forests, prioritizing fruit-bearing species
• Agroforestry cooperatives in Latin America turning female trees into family income, climate solutions, and food security

Meanwhile, we’re over here picking up pollen with $600 vacuums. Make it make sense.

The Browns Mill Food Forest Enters the Chat

Not to flex, but Atlanta is pioneering something truly visionary.

The Browns Mill Food Forest is a 7.1-acre former pecan farm turned into the largest public food forest in the United States.

It’s basically:

• A living community grocery store
• An ecological classroom
• A climate-resilient park
• A real-life answer to food insecurity, climate anxiety, and empty land

No lines, no checkout. Just take what you need.

The trees are doing the labor. The people are reaping the nourishment.
This is the future of urban land use. It’s giving solarpunk with a purpose.

How to Turn Atlanta’s Win Into a National Playbook

As someone who’s spent years building community-first tools, here’s how we scale this:

1. Use data that slaps: Map out where urban food forests would reduce health disparities and food insecurity
2. Design with—not for—communities: Co-create with residents who will care for and benefit from these spaces
3. Policy speedrun: Work with cities to remove outdated ordinances banning “messy” fruit trees
4. Content + culture: Turn food forests into hubs of storytelling, content, and local pride
5. Ownership structures: Think DAO energy, co-ops, or land trusts that center long-term community benefit

Browns Mill is a living proof-of-concept for what happens when public, nonprofit, and grassroots partners actually work together.

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