SYNERGISTIC AGRICULTURE
The creator of synergistic agricolture, is the spanish
Emilia Hazelip
(1937 - 2003).
She was inspired by the principles of
“not-doing” agriculture of Masanobu Fukuoka ("The thread of straw revolution")
“We are not obliged to passively consume. We can act, we can self-produce some food to be able to buy less, we can start with a garden, a terrace, a green space arranged as an
"edible landscape".”
- Emilia Hazelip
The art of cultivating letting the earth do it
Synergistic agriculture
- It is a method of cultivating the land that is respectful of nature and at the same time capable of guaranteeing abundant and genuine harvests.
WHAT IS IT?
Why practicing it
WHY PRACTICING
IT
- It is based on the principle widely demonstrated by the most up-to-date microbiological studies.
- It encourages agricultural production that uses the self-fertility of the soil.
- Its principles can be applied everywhere, in small or large spaces, in the countryside or in the city, in a cold or hot climate.
Chemical activity and organic residues
The role of plants
Microorganisms and bacteria
- While the earth makes plants grow, they create fertile soil through their own root exudates:
Key principles
- No addition of fertilizers.
KEY PRINCIPLES
Synergistic agriculture in practice
- First you need to prepare the ground.
This phase is not taken for granted and the modality and time varies according to the starting condition:
SYNERGISTIC AGRICULTURE IN PRACTICE
The working slab
- It is a layer of accumulation of salts in the soil due to repeated plowing.
- A hole is digged 50 cm deep in the ground to see if there's a horizontal line of a different color compared to the rest of the ground.
- If it's present it will be necessary to break it with a ripper or with a spade-fork.
WORKING SLAB
The windbreak hedge
- It's useful to prepare a windbreak hedge
- It will also be an excellent refuge for beneficial insects and parasite predators, for hedgehogs to hibernate and for birds' nests.
WINDBREAK HEDGE
The pallets
THE PALLETS
- They are the raised flowerbeds on which the vegetables are grown, created with the same soil where you cultivate.
- The shape can be straight, curved or mandala-shaped.
- Their function is to delimit the passages for men and vehicles in order to avoid the compaction of the cultivated land.
- A "drip" irrigation system is installed on them.
THE STRUCTURE
- The pallets have three different cultivation surfaces:
- Sides
- Edges
- Central zone
- "Permanent braces" are bended in arches that cross over the pallets.
- The arches will serve as a guide to climbing plants.
Three families of different vegetables are planted on the same pallet to make the most of the synergistic action of the plants.
- Sides: upright liliaceae; they spreads disinfesting substances, thus protecting other vegetables.
- Edges: row of legumes, depending on the season.
- Central part: legumes and the other families of vegetables.
The mulch
THE MULCH
- An essential element to protect the soil from compaction and the excessive action of weathering.
- It's important to keep the pallets' sides well covered with mulch to avoid slipping
- It facilitates the development of microflora and microfauna.
- It acts as a "thermal buffer", protecting the soil both in the hottest months and during the cold season.
- It is made with biodegradable materials according to needs.
What is the ultimate goal of synergistic agriculture?
- To replicate in agriculture the conditions of the soils that produce such perfect results in nature
- Build a future where respect for life is implemented through the synergistic-ecological integration.