Introduction to Food Forests and Syntropic Farming

We all descend from an ancestor who was deeply embedded within a perennial ecosystem. Food, herbs, shelter, medicine, fibres, trinkets, weapons, tools, skincare, dye and even mind altering compounds – our ancestors derived everything for their lives from the habitat immediately surrounding them: forests.

Syntropic agriculture involves creating a diverse, resilient, self-perpetuating, multi-layered agroforestry system consisting of different types of perennial plants and trees. The plants are arranged in a way that allows them to benefit from each other’s presence, in “syntropy” . The dynamic ecology created in these systems is capable of providing its own water and nutrient needs while providing immeasurable and diverse resources. Food forests can be adapted to tiny backyards and expanded into many hectares.

During this workshop you ill have the opportunity to participate in the instillation process of a syntropic agroforestry system and learn the fundamentals of managing this system such as;

– Forest ecology
– Planning and design
– Plant selection and targets
– Nurse plants
– Evolution over time (succession)
– “The macro-organism” concept
– Management, Chop & Drop, pest control
– Forest bathing, wellness and the therapeutic quality of trees
– Planting resilient backyard ecosystems that can shift with problematic climate and economy

Specific details
29/04/2023 – 30/04/2023

9am – 4pm both days
Lunch provided

This workshop will be hosted at a Hazelbrook plot and will be the beginning of a new syntropic food forest system under. Continual workshops will be held during the year as this system is established with participants encouraged to attend ongoing advanced workshops.