Upcoming Workshops in Costa Rica on the Farming and Agroforestry Revolution of Ernst Gotsch

As part of Remineralize the Earth’s mission, we are looking towards initiating future projects in the post-hurricane Caribbean, similar to projects like Sitio Semente outside Brasilia, Brazil. These projects, based on the work of Ernst Gotsch, hold the potential to produce great diversity of vegetables, fruits, coffee, and cacao in one agroforestry system, adapted to communities in the subtropical and tropical regions. Such a system can be jump-started with one initial application of rock dust and no outside inputs thereafter. Ernst Gotsch’s syntropic farming and agroforestry systems are complementary to each other. We envision syntropic farming and agroforestry as a revolution for tropical regions all over the world to produce high yields of nutrient dense foods, through the creation of rich, diverse tropical habitats.

Up until now, one needed to travel to Brazil to learn the techniques and work of Ernst Gotsch. But now in Costa Rica at Rancho Mastatal, there is a great opportunity to participate in workshops based on his work. The Syntropic Farming Course will take place from June 23 to June 28 in 2019, and it will feature a variety of workshops on Ernst Gotsch’s syntropic farming.

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 and agroforestry (explained in the documentary From Garden to Forest) seek to cultivate resilient ecosystems that are abundant, financially viable and heal abused land. They ask us, as stewards of the land to live in harmony with nature. They ask 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. Ernst Gotsch’s Syntropic Farming and his agroforestry design are holistic approaches, working with nature’s processes and the dynamics of ecosystems.

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 perspectives.
• Livestock incorporation.
• The syntropic farming movement and how to get involved.

 

Event Website: http://ranchomastatal.com/syntropicfarming/

For more information: info@ranchomastatal.com

Application for scholarships: http://ranchomastatal.com/scholarship-application

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