Differences explained: Food Forests & Syntropic Agriculture

In our previous article, we looked at the relation between Syntropic Agriculture and agroforestry, highlighting how both methods integrate trees with crops and livestock to offer economic and ecological benefits. While (simple) agroforestry enhances productivity and sustainability through systems like alley cropping and silvopasture, Syntropic Agriculture goes further, transforming degraded lands into vibrant, self-sustaining ecosystems.

Now, we dive deeper into the similarities and differences between Syntropic Agriculture and food forests. Both approaches emphasize biodiversity and ecosystem health, but their principles and practices differ.

Understanding Food Forests

A food forest is designed to mimic the structure and function of a natural forest, involving a diverse array of plant species—trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals—arranged in multiple layers. The primary goal is to produce food and other resources while enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem health. In practice, a food forest design often resembles a stable, mature ??????????????—largely self-sustaining once established, requiring minimal human intervention.

Syntropic Agriculture actively regenerates degraded lands, and builds food forests through ecological succession, creating thriving ecosystems. It requires detailed planning and intensive management to create complex forest systems. The system is dynamic and based on ecological succession. Think of Syntropic Agriculture as a ????????, where the system and crops evolve over time, requiring active human participation.

Maintenance and Management: The Role of Humans in an Ecosystem

Food forests often are designed to be low-maintenance once established. Perennial plants dominate, providing (tree-based) yields with minimal upkeep. These forests are designed with the principle "The less management, the better. No more annual ploughing and sowing, no fertilization and pest control. Nature runs the farm!"? This approach prioritizes long-term stability and self-sufficiency, with humans playing a passive role. ?????????? ???????????????????????? ???? ??????????????, ???????? ???????????????????? ???????????????????? ?????? ???????????? ?????? ?????????????? ????????????.

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The 'no annual ploughing and sowing, and no artificial fertilisation' principle also is a central element in Syntropic Agriculture. However, here ???????????? ?????? ???????? ???? ???????????????? ???? ?????? ??????????????????'?? ??????????????. Regular interventions, such as chopping and dropping biomass, enrich the soil and stimulate plant growth. The dynamic system requires ongoing management to guide ecological successional processes and to speed up ecosystem recovery. This means that humans are active participants, facilitating ecological succession, enhancing biodiversity, productivity and resilience, and regenerating degraded landscapes.

Ecological Succession in Food Forests

Ecological succession lies at the basis of a natural ecosystem, and is one of the key elements in syntropic farming. In practice however, ecological succession is not always integrated in a food forests design. Without proper succession, the environment can fail to provide the necessary conditions for young trees and plants to thrive, leading to significant losses and tree mortality. This issue arises because the foundational stages of the ecosystem, which include early-successional species that prepare the soil and create suitable micro-environments, are skipped or underdeveloped.

Consequently, introducing mid-to-late successional species prematurely can result in poor growth and survival rates. Proper ecological succession ensures that the soil structure, nutrient availability, and microclimatic conditions are optimized over time, supporting a wider range of species as the system matures. Neglecting this process can lead to inadequate water retention and increased vulnerability to pests and diseases, further exacerbating tree mortality and reducing overall system health and productivity.

Additional Revenue from Early Successional Crops

The focus on ecological succession in Syntropic Agriculture has another advantage: these early crops can be harvested and sold, providing immediate income streams while the ecosystem matures. This contrasts with non-managed food forests, where early-stage crops are often underutilized or absent, leading to a longer wait for financial returns.

Through ecological succession you can integrate annual crops in your system, while the soil is building up for later successional species in the same space.

Choosing the Right Approach

Choosing between Syntropic Agriculture and (non-managed) food forests depends on your goals and context. If you aim to establish a low-maintenance, perennial-based system that mimics forests, a food forest might fit well. This approach can create a diverse, stable, and self-sustaining food production system with minimal intervention.

However, at De BosBoerderij we believe that Syntropic Agriculture is the way forward,

• if your goal is to actively regenerate degraded land and enhance biodiversity rapidly, and
• if you see the added value of humans as keystone species in an ecosystem.

Understanding the differences and similarities of these systems allows you to choose the approach that best aligns with your vision for a sustainable, productive, and resilient agricultural landscape.

Syntropic agriculture is suitable for creating highly productive and dynamic ecosystems that evolve over time with significant human involvement.

Keep an eye out on our socials to learn more about the added value of syntropic farming.