Syntropic agriculture in Portugal

Life Terra is planting 3000 trees of 20 different species at the Quinta das Abelhas syntropic agriculture farm in Portugal. Marc Leiber, the owner of the farm, works with the collaboration of reNature (an organization supporting farmers & corporates scaling Regenerative Agriculture) and under the direct tutelage of the Swiss Ernst Götsch, creator of this revolutionary form of regenerative agriculture that has shown high effectiveness in the restoration of degraded ecosystems.

Syntropic agriculture tries to mimic the way growth processes unfold in nature. The word syntropy describes the functioning of a system that, accumulating matter and energy, becomes more and more complex as time passes.

The main objective of this form of agriculture is to produce food while reforesting the planet. That is why planting a diverse mix of species is a key piece in its whole process. This variety in planting provides short, medium and long-term yields that are obtained as the forests mature.

The pruning of trees and the deposit of organic material in the soil also have an important role as they contribute to increasing soil fertility and accelerating plant growth.

Thanks to Marc Leiber and reNature for working with Life Terra in the development of such an interesting and promising ecosystem restoration project. Let’s continue creating synergies between organizations to promote projects where landowners prioritize soil health and biodiversity!