Syntropic Farming Workshop
15 - 20 February 2024 with Felipe Amato and La Loma Viva team
About the course
La Loma Viva is committed to providing high quality education in Syntropic farming and are collaborating with the TERRA network to offer workshops with some of the most experienced and knowledgable local practitioners in this field. Since 2017 we have been researching, implementing and advancing the study and application of Syntropic farming in a Mediterranean context.
We will be hosting the 5 day “Introduction to Syntropic Farming” workshop, which will present the foundations of the method, in theory and practice, covering some of the essential information you will need for starting your own Syntropic system, or to deepen your understanding and advance your practice.
The workshop will be held here at La Loma Viva, a project pioneering the method of Syntropic farming in a Mediterranean / semi-arid environment. You will have the chance to see established systems and learn about our research, challenges and successes, and be able to apply that experience to your own project.
16 Feb - One Day Introduction to Syntropic Farming class. If you aren’t able to attend the full workshop, there is the possibility to come on the first day, where we will cover the main principles, some essential theory and practical tools. (*Discounts for local residents and previous students, contact us for details)
Course Content:
Philosophy and Principles of Syntropic Farming.
Implementing Syntropic agroforestry systems.
Syntropic Farming in a Mediterranean context - an overview of the Mediterranean and semi-arid climate zones, their current challenges (desertification, drought etc.) and the potential of Syntropic Farming to regenerate these areas.
Working with your environment (sun, wind, seasons) and local conditions (soils, water, topography, local plants, etc.).
Choosing appropriate plant groups and consortia for creating successful agro-ecosystems.
Stratification: the sunlight requirements for different species and how to work that into your design.
Natural succession: how to mimic nature's cycles by selecting groups of species for every stage of succession.
Production: choosing the right species that need less inputs and can also add market value.
Management strategies: Syntropic farming relies on managing your system correctly.
Pruning: how to invigorate the system while harvesting biomass.
Mulching: how to process biomass and use it to keep the soil constantly covered.
Syntropic Farming in practice: learning and applying practical planting techniques on the field (including a retrofit of an existing almond terrace and working with nest designs).
PRACTICAL: In this workshop we will be implementing a small new area to give you an overview of how to start planting a Syntropic system. We will also be pruning and managing an existing system and taking it to the next level of succession, so you will have the opportunity to see how this is done.
facilitators
Felipe Amato will be the lead facilitator of the course. Felipe is from Brazil and was an early student of Ernst Gotsch since 2010. He has an extensive knowledge and practical experience of Syntropic agroforestry. Felipe is a forest farmer with a productive project in Brazil. He has been teaching for more than 10 years and consulting on projects in Brazil and Europe. Felipe os the founder of the TERRA network and is a sought after consultant. His work throughout Europe over the past years has provided him with a great repertoire of plant species for regenerating Mediterranean and other European climate zones. With a background in philosophy, Felipe is able to break down complex theory and make it really accessible for students to understand. He is an open and charismatic facilitator, with a practical and engaging teaching style.
The La Loma Viva team will be facilitating classes and field practicals, adding their 7 years of experience with Syntropic Farming and working with Mediterranean systems, to the workshop.
logistics
As this workshop will be in winter (which is the perfect time to plant in our climate) we will be limiting it to a maximum of 16 participants so that we can accommodate everyone in our retreat centre. Here you will enjoy a nice comfortable bed and the pleasure of 3 delicious organic meals, snacks and drinks each day, prepared by our talented chef, to ensure that everyone is well nourished and energised. Growing and enjoying wonderful healthy food from the land is an important reason why we do this work and we wish to share that with all of our guests. There will also be warm fires at the end of the day and some evening activities to further enhance the learning and connecting. For us, workshops are about the full experience of being together in a mutually regenerative way - with the earth, ourselves and one another. That is Syntropy!
Arrival: 15th Feb evening (dinner will be provided at 7pm)
Departure: 20th Feb (course will end at 5pm). There is also the option to stay an additional night + small celebration.
For travel info and other logistics click here for Visitors Page
* Unfortunately we cannot accommodate children, pets, camping, camper vans or work exchange at this time.
investment
5 Day Syntropic Farming Workshop - 475€
Delicious organic food, snacks and beverages prepared by our gourmet chef - 30€ per day
Accommodation in our beautiful retreat centre (shared rooms 2-3 people) - 30€ per night
Or:
One Day Syntropic Farming class plus lunch - 115€
All Inclusive Workshop Total Price - 775€ (5 Days of Classes, Organic Food & Accommodation) From evening of 15th Feb - 20th Feb afternoon
La Loma Viva is a non-profit Foundation. All funds go towards continued research in regenerative farming.
Deposit to reserve your place 150€ (remainder must be paid by 01-02-24)
Click the link below to register your place and pay via our secure online booking option (which we are sorry to say incurs an internet booking fee) or pay by bank transfer at no extra cost.
*Residents of Granada and previous students of La Loma get a 10% discount on workshop price of 475€, email us for details and to book.
Contact us if you have any questions and we will be happy to assist. We look forward to seeing you here!
