Synecoculture Manual
5. Synecoculture in Different Climate
5-1. General Remarks
The principle of Synecoculture can be applied to all climate zones as long as temperature, precipitation, and sunlight are sufficiently present for growing plant. The specific strategy of implementation and the types of crop will vary depending on the climate and the vegetation of the particular region.In the following, we employ Köppen climate classification, which was determined by a relationship between temperature, precipitation and vegetation type, as a guide to illustrate the characteristics of the climate where Synecoculture is being practiced.
5-2. Temperate Zone
5-2-1. Deciduous Forest Zone
Deciduous Forest Zone covers the area of many European and American major cities where modern civilizations were developed. A part of the subarctic zone is also included in this climate division.Vegetation is mainly composed of sparse deciduous forests and undergrowth, which makes weed management easier in practice, but some regions may need to take countermeasures against cold temperatures and insufficient sunlight during the winter months.For example, it would be essential to keep snow-hardy plants, root vegetables and the potato family stored underground, and mainstream productive fruit trees like apples, which can be harvested, kept in the storage facility until the following spring. To retain enough moisture in the soil, you can pile mowed grass or dead leaf matter on the surface. Growing the large crop root helps with cold resistance while some crops can survive through winter by staying as small buds. Making use of evergreen trees that are strong against the cold as a protective boundary against winter winds should also be considered, along with topography and geographical orientation of the farm.Overcoming the agricultural off-season during winter, which is longer in most cities than that of the Honshu region in Japan, is one of our main concerns and challenges in research. We speculate that a principal solution will be the scaling up to mass production that corresponds to the usually high economic level in these countries, with the use of the mechanization that would support the augmentation of the ecosystem.
5-2-2. Evergreen Forest Zone
In Japan, this zone includes from the Honshu region all the way south to the Kyushu region.Because of its plentiful rainfall, even a deserted field will be covered with tall weeds if left untouched. It would ultimately develop into a deep forest with a capacity to house an abundant variety of indigenous species, known as potential natural vegetation.This manual is based on the empirical knowledge of synecological farming primarily in this climate and vegetation zone.
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A climax forest of potential vegetation is an ecosystem with natural vegetation that has been developed with ecological optimum for several decades to over several hundred years. Concrete example has been academically conceptualized as Chinju-no-mori (the japanese forest of the village shrine) according to the ecologist Akira Miyawaki, and there are plantations all over Japan.
For implementation on the Pacific Ocean side of Japan, it becomes easy to make produce even in the winter with the use of forests and man-made structure to block the northern winds. It’s also possible to create a windbreak by using evergreen fruit trees around the farm. Plum pine tree (Podocarpus macrophyllus) fences are traditionally used, but while they are highly effective in blocking the wind, they are slow to grow. Additionally, the plum pine garden trees that are commercially sold are generally male, so in order to grow fruit you will have to choose female trees.
5-3. Subtropics
This is the temperate climate zone that is closer to the tropics. In Japan it is commonly referred to as the region from southern Kyushu through the Nansei Islands, including Okinawa. As most of this region consists of small islands, the soil runoff from conventional fields such as sugar cane has the most direct effect on the marine ecosystem.
As a management strategy, it is essential to grow fruit trees and protect vegetables from intense sun-rays. In the Nansei Islands, where many typhoons pass through, densely mixed fruit tree forests are crucial for protecting against strong winds.The plant tissue in a non-fertilized field becomes more robust, and the roots spread out more, which increases wind resistance.
As weeds are particularly strong in the subtropics, frequent grass management will be necessary to produce vegetables. Until vegetables dominate the surface, you need to take a countermeasure against weeds corresponding to their types and growth rate.There is also the method of letting the grass grow out intentionally to concentrate on soil formation at first.
If you take advantage of a warm and rainy climate and focus on producing subtropical fruit, this way you can lower costs and expand the production volume.It is also suited for producing seedlings, since the growth rate of fruit trees is high compared to Honshu.
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Subtropics are included in the temperate zone of the Köppen climate classification, and a number of varying definitions exist.This manual adopts common usage of the term subtropics as the southern Kyushu region to Nansei islands, based on the opinions from the inhabitants. Though it is classified as subtropics, the Nansei islands have exceptional precipitation in contrast to many of the world’s subtropics that are predominantly arid regions.
To defend against the strong winds from typhoons that pass through the subtropics Nansei Islands every year, building an anti-wind fruit forest is an effective strategy. These forest will be composed a dense mixture of fast-growing fruit trees, such as papayas and bananas, since they bend easily and absorb wind impact. Raising fruit trees in a high density reduces yield, however as they support each other and increase their anti-wind effects, they can be placed as a nursery facing the wind from the shoreline.Conversely, the underside of the wind, enclosed by anti-wind fruit tree grove, productivity can be prioritized with high-value fruit trees like mango and island bananas, and creeper plants like guava, kiwi berry (Actinidia rufa), kiwi, etc.
5-4. Arid Zone
Climate zone with high average temperature, low precipitation, dry like the desert, and little vegetation.
In contrast to the tropical, temperate, and continental zones that are a forest-forming climate where trees can inhabit, the arid zone is a non-forest climate, and forests will not develop even if left alone. This is a region that is subject to desertification.
There are two types of causes for desertification – natural factors like the lack of rainfall, and human activities like the agricultural practice such as overgrazing and over-logging leading to environmental destruction. Actually, many of the arid regions of the world are facing desertification due to human-induced factors. Once vegetation is lost in an arid region, precipitation will also be reduced, and the lost vegetation will not recover, expanding the vicious cycle.
In developed countries such as North America and Australia, groundwater is drying up and desertification is progressing due to large-scale monoculture farming. However even in regions where small-scale farming is the majority, such as Africa, India, and China, the use of modern farming methods is exacerbating the desertification process, expanding the regions under the risk.In arid zones where many developing countries are located, the frail ecosystem and socio-political instability are posing serious issues: Poverty and malnutrition prevail, and the loss of biodiversity is expanding at an alarming rate.
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Forests are nurtured by rain, and as the groundwater is cultivated, water vapor transpiration from the forest becomes rain again, making for circulation. The rain and groundwater system are tied together through the absorption and transpiration from surface plants.As rainfall, surface vegetation, and groundwater mutually exist and form a water circulation, deforestation crucially breaks this cycle. If there is not much precipitation or groundwater to be supplied externally, natural recovery will be impossible.This is called the regime shift of the ecosystem. As if building blocks that were once piled up are lost, it is not easy to reload to the original state. It is an irreversible destruction phenomenon that lies within the ecosystem dynamics as a mechanism of desertification.
In order to adapt to abnormal weather such as floods and droughts, we need to diversify the ecosystem with respect to the height of vegetation and depth of the root system. Covering the topsoil with perennial grass retains moisture. Place root crops and potatoes that will survive even if the surface dries out.Above ground, the multi-layer of herbs and trees can be placed in alternating order, which increase the efficiency of photosynthesis with perpendicular configuration of the whole vegetation community. Mixing in crops of differing height can also reduce damage of flooding.By stretching around the roots in a multi-layered way and in differing depth, underground water can be better retained and the rain capacity can be expanded, creating an ecosystem that is strong against droughts and absorbs floods.
Synecoculture farming has been implemented in Burkina Faso at the Sahel region in sub-Saharan Africa situated at the boundary of the arid zone and the tropics.From an initial success story, it is expected to make a great contribution to the recovery of both social and ecological systems [Sony CSL] .
The benefits of Synecoculture farming in the arid zone, based on the implementation in Burkina Faso, are as follows [Funabashi 2024] .
- Turnover speed similar to the tropics:As the atmospheric temperature is high in the arid zone, if the vegetation is dense enough to hold the water in the topsoil, vigorous growth similar to the tropics can be observed.
- Lack of competing vegetation (weed seeds) makes managing and mixing newly-introduced species easy:In the arid region, the indigenous seed bank is not as robust as the other regions. Conversely, it is easy to manage vegetation that is predominantly covered with useful plants like vegetables.
- Less risk of social conflict between Synecoculture and conventional farming. Conventional farming is difficult to introduce in this region, and even if they do they can realize only a low level of physiological optimization:It is not practical to implement conventional farming in this region since it poses a serious risk of environmental destruction. Lack of established conventional agriculture can be seen as an opportunity for new farmers because the market entry regulation is also non-existent. Standardization for agricultural product is rare, which means there is a ground for people to embrace huge variety of Synecoculture produce, and they can be sold directly on the local market. A lack of resources does not allow people to use expensive fertilizer and machinery, but in a way, this reduces the risk of introducing fertilizer and tillage machinery, which are both against the principle of Synecoculture.
- Job creation in a smallholder farm:Many members of society from this region are small-scale family farmers. Since labor skill required to work in the farm are mostly manual labor, they can be employed immediately without much training.For small-scale farmers based on individual household economies as the main constituent, achieving low cost, high revenue leads to a large and direct economic impact.
To introduce synecological farming methods in arid regions as part of desert greening, the followings are the recommended strategies:
- Find the vegetation among robust creeper vines (e.g. kudzu legume, Pueraria montana) that could be used as a feed for livestock like cows. Use them as a pioneer plant when implementing Synecoculture.
- Plant these creeper vines near the water source, and guide them to grow towards the desert. Once the tip of the extended end grows thick leaves and takes root, have the livestock feed on the leaves. Feces of the livestock will serve as natural manure and increase the productivity of the soil.
- If necessary water at the base of the vine plant. If there isn’t much water, creating V-shape vegetation from the water source is effective at greening over a wide area.
- Create walls of creeper plants in intervals of a few tens of meters. In between these walls, plant a mixture of perennial plants, trees, and grass that are strong against dry weather and reinforce water retention of the soil. At this beginning stage, focus on building the environment and growing seedlings at minimum cost. After the ecosystem is established, gradually increase the elements of productivity.
5-5. Tropics
Tropics are a region surrounding the equator. Temperature is consistently high and its fluctuation remains small in annual range. For the most part, it rains heavily but some regions do have a dry season. Lush vegetation of tropical plants forms a various degree of jungle depending on the precipitation. It is also a treasure trove of medicinal plant resources.
Tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia and the Amazon in South America typically provide the critical ecosystem that supports biodiversity of the earth. However, this function is being diminished severely due to rapid economic development and deforestation.Soil structure in tropics form quickly, but also is susceptible to external forces. This trait makes its soil highly vulnerable to logging and plowing, leading to rapid structural failure. Furthermore, the coastal ecosystems of the tropics and the subtropics are a home to coral reefs that nurtures 25% of all marine species on earth. The expansion of conventional farming in this region will contaminate the ground water and consequently affect the global marine ecosystem.Synecoculture in tropics hold important implication, as it allows the continuous formation and maintenance of soil structure while taking into account the circulation of land and sea.
An example of synecoculture is being introduced on Sumatra Island, Indonesia, to simultaneously protect the habitats of rare large animals like wild tigers and accommodate nearby human activities. Additionally, in Ecuador, South America, there is an example where severely degraded monoculture cacao farms were converted to synecoculture, achieving both cacao production and environmental restoration [SynecO] .
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Supported by high temperatures and precipitation, tropics features the most diverse inhabitation of plants, animals, and microbes on the planet. However, as the decomposition rate of organic matter is fast, the topsoil formation is thin and vulnerable to disturbances.At a glance it may seem like the most rich environment, but it’s also an environment that requires meticulous care and maintenance.