From Accumulation to Abundance

Deforestation of the Amazon

Deforestation of Central Europe

Source: Google Earth, pictures have the same scale.

In the understanding of Syntropic Agriculture¹ (Ernst Götsch), ecosystems can be classified into four stages: colonization, accumulation, abundance, and disturbance.

Colonization systems can be found, for instance, after a volcanic eruption. When no life yet exists, lichen, bacteria, and fungi start growing on the cooled rocky magma. For a while, the system needs to create sufficient soil before plants can grow. In the later stages of colonization, certain plant species also appear, building the bridge to accumulation systems.

Accumulation systems rest upon an imbalance of energy and the system specializes to fix it. Accumulation systems are composed by species that are not demanding in terms of resources and that have the function of increasing, as quickly as possible, the amount of energy available, and the complexity and speed of the life processes that are present.

Abundance systems are achieved when there is a positive energetic balance. In abundance systems, trees that produce large fruits, that feed animals, grow vigorously. Plants and animals put their energy into more complex functions, creating more energy through sugar and starch, exploring beauty in their aesthetical and sensorial appeal, and building resilience by deepening their symbiotic relationships.

When large animals, such as ourselves, are present, there is a continuous disturbance of the system. Through movement, grazing, foraging, and hunting, large animals disturb the life around them, feeding on the everpresent abundance, and, through the fulfillment of their function, they create infinitely more life by accelerating life processes, feeding the soil with fertility and playing their part in balancing the ecosystem.

Deforestation, and subsequently agriculture, have been the leading causes of ecosystem destruction throughout history. Most forms of agriculture, in particular the ones that have most widely been adopted in the civilized world, deplete the ecosystems in which they are integrated, eliminating their biotic structure. The simplification of the system creates a regression from abundance to accumulation and, eventually, to desertification when accumulation is not possible. This phenomenon has hindered the food security and stability of many organized civilizations, inevitably leading to conflict, social decay, and collapse.

Many agricultural philosophies have also been used for as many years, that instead reinforce the processes already present in nature. Most indigenous peoples had forms of agriculture that would benefit their environments. In the Amazon, the ‘terra preta de indío’ is the name given to the human-made, black, and fertile soil that is found where indigenous peoples lived, it is the best soil in the Amazon. This soil was created by mixing biochar with organic matter and by using it to grow plants respecting the logic of the forest. This black soil is a living organism that grows on its own.

Recently, knowledge of the broad discipline of agroecology has started to accelerate and revive, and different accounts of farming techniques emerge from many places in the world. Two common features are prevalent, 1) the presence of different perennial species (trees and shrubs), occupying different strata (relative position) and with different life cycles and, 2) biomass recycling.

In other words, a correct agroecological practice replicates the principles of the forest and accelerates its processes through disturbance, in this way plants have the right conditions to develop, soils improve quickly, and systems of abundance can be sustained and can also sustain all the life that is part of them, achieving ecological homeostasis.

In our civilized minds, the perception of scarcity, not abundance, dictates decision-making. In our fear to starve, we consumed the gifts of nature and built a society of accumulation. To recover our soils and ecosystems we must first recover our minds.

The next Forest Residency will happen from the 19th to the 21st of May, if you are interested in participating please reach out and I will share more details on it soon!

1. https://agendagotsch.com/en/what-is-syntropic-farming/