What is Syntropic Agroforestry? It consists of alternating rows of trees and shrubs, mulch plants, paths of wood chips or logs, and annual crops.The mulch plants feed the trees, annual crops, and the soil itself, eliminating the need for other amendments and fertilizers. The trees, shrubs, and annuals are planted with consideration for their different heights, and dates of maturity, maximizing use of space, and filling all the different layers of the forest from root to canopy.

It has the advantage of biodiversity which makes a more resilient garden. It creates an ecosystem that attracts key components such as insects and birds. Most importantly, all of the components above and below ground interact with each other harmoniously so that no waste is produced and virtually nothing external is needed to maintain it.

A developed food forest can go fallow and thrive off of sunlight and rain water. The Town of Taos has called for action to stop climate change. Let’s implement syntropic agroforestry for water and soil conservation. Let’s solve the food scarcity problem simultaneously and become self-fed by 2030.