Syntropic Farming Course

Syntropic Farming is a farming revolution grown out of Brazil and made famous by Ernst Gotsch and the Life in Syntropy short documentary. Syntropic Farming seeks to cultivate resilient ecosystems that are abundant, financially viable and heal abused land. It asks us, as stewards of the land to live in harmony with nature. It asks that we learn from nature through imitating natural processes in order to produce food. This results in abundant systems which grow healthy soils, sequester carbon, produce a diverse array of yields, regenerate the ecosystem and that don't require long term external inputs. Syntropic Farming is a holistic approach, working with nature’s processes and the dynamics of ecosystems.   See :   http://ranchomastatal.com/syntropicfarming/

This six day course, taught by Fernando Rebello and Thiago Barbosa will provide students with an introduction to syntropic farming theory, methodology and practice.

This class will leave students with examples of how syn-tropical agriculture is applied to vegetable, fruit, grain, and livestock farming and how these are incorporated into agroforestry systems. The class includes a hands-on component where we will be installing a small syntropic farming demonstration at Rancho Mastatal. No farming experience is necessary.

The course will specifically cover the following topics:

• Introduction to the principles of syntropic agriculture.
• Ecosystem considerations. How do we create syntropic systems according to our climate, soils, water, and vegetation?
• Implementation and management strategies.
• Vegetable production. Patterns and succession of species over time.
• Fruit growing. Staple crops, pruning, stratification strategies, savanna ecosystems and their management.
• Grain production. Combining forest species with grains, spacing, and production perspecetives.
• Livestock incorporation.
• The syntropic farming movement and how to get involved.