What Is Syntropic Farming?
Imagine a world where modern agriculture not only sustains our food needs but also heals the land, regenerates ecosystems, and thrives without additional inputs. If we want to move past a global food system reliant on large-scale, mono-cropped agriculture, we need to embrace methods that work with nature rather than against it. Syntropic Agriculture is a fascinating and powerful approach to agriculture that does exactly that. Created by Swiss farmer Ernst Götsch in Brazil, this method transforms degraded landscapes into productive ecosystems by mimicking natural processes. This article covers what syntropic agriculture is, its primary principles, the differences between Syntropic Agriculture and methods such as permaculture, and its potential application in the Pacific Northwest.
What is Syntropic Agriculture?
Syntropic Agriculture started with Ernst Götsch, who purchased a severely degraded 480-hectare piece of land in Brazil. Faced with barren and acidic soil that locals joked would never grow food again, Götsch set out to regenerate the land using principles that would later become the foundation of Syntropic Agriculture. His approach focused on creating thriving ecosystems by working with nature rather than imposing human-centric and modern agricultural practices of the time. The primary goal of syntropic farming is to reforest the planet.
Some core ideas behind Syntropic Agriculture have been around for centuries, as many indigenous peoples across the world have historically practiced perennial agriculture and forest gardening. Indigenous groups in regions such as the Pacific Northwest, the Great Plains, and the Amazon deliberately cultivated forests with edible, useful, and medicinal plants. These traditional methods emphasized working in harmony with natural systems and utilizing minimal inputs, ensuring the land remains productive and sustainable for many generations ahead.
A short film called "Life in Syntropy" showcases Götsch's project and the principles of Syntropic Agriculture. The film illustrates how degraded landscapes can be transformed into lush, productive ecosystems through careful orchestration of plant succession, diversity, and strategic planting. This type of agroforestry can be applied across degraded landscapes worldwide.
The Principles of Syntropic Agriculture
Syntropic Agriculture is guided by several key principles that ensure the health and productivity of any given ecosystem. The syntropic system principles are:
Keep the Soil Covered: This principle prevents soil erosion and maintains moisture. In syntropic farming, large amounts of biomass are grown on-site and regularly pruned or cut to be applied as mulch, keeping the soil protected and enriched with organic matter at all times.
Maximize Photosynthesis: Syntropic systems aim to capture as much sunlight as possible. This is achieved by planting in rows from North to South, allowing for maximum sun exposure throughout the day. Additionally, a high density of planting ensures efficient use of solar energy. (Note that Götsch’s project is in a tropical climate, so an East-to-West orientation will do better in temperate climates in the Northern Hemisphere.)
Stratification: Plants are arranged based on their height and optimal habitat, referred to as “strata.” Götsch’s method uses terms like emergent, high, medium, and low, which mostly relate to the light requirements and mature sizes of each species. This results in plants of different strata coexisting harmoniously. In modern forest gardening, these concepts are called the 7 layers.
Natural Succession: This principle involves the arrangement of plants over time, mimicking the natural progression of a forest. Plants are organized from early succession (placenta stage) to late succession (climax stage), ensuring continuous cover and a dynamic, evolving landscape.
Synchronization: This involves the strategic removal of plant biomass through harvesting and pruning. This process not only yields food to be eaten but also opens up space for new growth and triggers the release of root hormones that encourage regeneration and soil fertility.
Management: Syntropic Agriculture is an intensively managed system. Regular monitoring and human intervention are necessary to maintain the balance and productivity of the ecosystem.
When practiced in unity, syntropic farming enhances agricultural productivity and restores the land, making it a truly regenerative alternative to conventional agricultural systems.
What’s the difference between Syntropic Farming and Permaculture?
Several different sustainability practices, such as permaculture and syntropic agriculture, have gained popularity in the last two decades. Syntropic Agriculture, in addition to another popular method called Regenerative Agriculture, are considered holistic land-use systems that can have many crossovers while also operating under the umbrella of permaculture. Permaculture is a holistic design science that specializes in connectivity between disciplines, acting as a toolkit. It acts as the toolkit, while Syntropic Agriculture and Regenerative Agriculture are the individual tools that can be applied depending on the landscape's specific needs.
Both Syntropic Agriculture and Permaculture embody many of the same principles, such as connectivity, diversity, and holistic thinking. They emphasize observing and working with natural patterns to create thriving human habitats. While syntropic agriculture largely emphasizes multi-layered agroforestry, Permaculture assumes that different climates have different needs, and analysis is needed first to decide on the most holistic method. There has been ongoing collaboration between both fields, and both continue to enrich each other's understanding of restoring the earth while satisfying our food needs.
Can Syntropic Agriculture be practiced in the Pacific Northwest?
While Syntropic Agriculture originated in the tropical climate of Brazil, many of its principles have been adapted to temperate climates and can be applied in the Pacific Northwest. The following methods are commonly practiced:
Chop and Drop: Pruning plants and leaving 4-6” pieces of cut material on the ground to decompose and enrich the soil. This reduces the amount of bare ground, improving soil health.
Temperate Forest Gardening: Gardens that mimic the structure and diversity of natural forests, using layers of plants.
Edible Hedgerows: Planting dense rows of shrubs or trees to create windbreaks, habitat corridors, and biodiversity.
Polycultures and Guilds: Growing multiple plant species together in mutually beneficial arrangements.
Agroforestry: Integrating trees and shrubs into commercial agricultural landscapes for benefits like shade, healthy soil, biodiversity, and ecological restoration.
Syntropic Agriculture has also posed some challenges in temperate climates due to variances in climate and soil conditions. The wetter, cooler conditions of temperate regions can hinder the rapid biomass production seen in tropical climates. Managing plant stratification and succession can also be more complex due to seasonal changes and the slower growth rates of certain perennial plants. Despite these issues, many temperate garden projects have successfully integrated the above key concepts. This selective adoption has allowed for a revolution of regenerative farming and gardening projects.
Blacklotus and Syntropic Agriculture
At Blacklotus, we believe in the power of syntropic farming to transform landscapes. By integrating syntropic principles such as forest gardening, edible hedgerows, chop and drop, and deep mulching, we aim to create resilient, biodiverse environments that benefit both human beings and planet Earth. Incorporating Syntropic Agriculture or Permaculture methods into your project can create sustainable food production, reduce water loss, and improve natural ecosystems. If you are interested in incorporating Syntropic Agriculture or Permaculture methods onto your site or project, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Final Words
Syntropic Agriculture offers a transformative approach to sustainable farming by mimicking natural processes to regenerate ecosystems and improve soil fertility. By integrating principles such as natural succession and stratification, this method enhances biodiversity and productivity, even in challenging climates like the Pacific Northwest. Adopting syntropic farming practices can revolutionize food production while restoring the health of our planet.
