E C O - A GRICULTURE
Syntropic farming in the tropics
Syntropic farming was developed by Swiss farmer Ernst Götsch and may be one solution to the need of food for rapidly growing communities in the tropical belt.
by Martin Oliver I
n the tropics, deforestation is a major issue. When land in these regions has been deforested, the poor condition of
the remaining soil has traditionally made reforestation very difficult. However, this is now less of an obstacle following breakthroughs involving cutting-edge techniques such as those developed by a Swiss farmer named Ernst Götsch.
REFORESTATION IN BRAZIL Over the last few decades, Götsch has become well known in some environmental circles for reforesting a tract of 480 hectares (about 1200 acres) that he purchased in 1984 in the Brazilian state of Bahia. The land had been denuded by the previous occupier, a sawmill owner, and was known as ‘Dry Lands’. As a result of Götsch’s efforts, much of his land has been transformed into an example of the Atlantic rainforest
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found in Brazil’s southeast. Today, seventeen streams run all year round, and fourteen springs have reappeared. And in the last few years there have even been beneficial changes in the microclimate, with lower temperatures and increased rainfall. None of this occurred by accident.
While pursuing his ambitious project, Götsch drew on his background as a farmer and a scientist. In the 1970s, while still in Switzerland, he had experimented with polyculture agricultural systems. Then in 1979, he relocated to Costa Rica to work with agroforestry systems, before moving again in 1982, this time to Brazil. While his land looks like unbroken
forest from the air, appearances are deceptive. Beneath the top storey are cacao trees and a number of other food crops. His is a working farm that also
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possesses a high level of biodiversity, aided by his unique take on agroforestry.
THE PROCESS OF REFORESTATION After his arrival, Götsch faced a number of challenges, including strong winds and a lack of water caused by a drought. His first step was to create a cover crop based on the vegetation that he observed growing close by, including manioc, pigeon pea, banana, and a few native tree species. Pruning yielded mulch, which returned biomass to the ground layer, where it broke down quickly in the hot climate and enabled fast recovery of the soil. After a while, forest trees could be planted, and over time Götsch developed a sophisticated multidimensional system where densely- planted species are chosen to imitate the ecological process of natural succession.
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