About San Diego Food Forest

Zane is the founder of San Diego Food Forest, a regenerative gardening initiative rooted in decades of hands-on horticultural experience and a global perspective.

His journey began over 25 years ago on his family’s organic farm in Sebastopol, California, where summers were spent apprenticing at regenerative farms and immersing himself in sustainable practices. He later became the lead grower at the family farm, deepening his commitment to ecological agriculture.

Over the years, Zane studied under world-renowned horticulturalists and went on to manage two large-scale organic farms in Mendocino County, overseeing more than 1,000 acres of food production as a certified Master Gardener.

His passion for cross-cultural learning led him abroad, where he apprenticed in Argentina and Brazil, cultivating tropicals, green tea and yucca while exchanging knowledge with indigenous communities. Now based in San Diego, Zane brings his expertise and vision to San Diego Food Forest—a community-driven project dedicated to regenerative gardening, food sovereignty, and ecological resilience.