Syntropic Agroforestry: How to Build Soil with Pioneer Succession (with video)

Forests can regenerate spontaneously--but the natural process also follows a natural pattern. Hardy plants called "pioneers" sprout up first, softening the soil with leaf fall and strong roots. In the protective shade of the pioneers, seeds for "true trees" can germinate and have a chance to grow.

When regenerating a degraded land where soil has been compacted and biomass is lacking, it is CRUCIAL to respect and follow the model nature sets for us.

Reforestation is needed, especially in the tropics and subtropics where deforestation is wiping out entire biospheres. But trees for trees sake can't work for the struggling grower. Farmers in the global south can't be expected to wait years or decades to harvest a crop. By interplanting pioneers with target species, the "hunger gap" can be filled with fast growing annuals while the perennial system takes hold. This is called succession planting--or syntropic as I've also found out.

Fortunately, there are many fruiting and useful plants that we can plant as "pioneers." In the tropics and sub tropics, banana, plantain, balsa, and yuca grow very fast, open tight soil, provide plenty of biomass to chop and drop--and FOOD and wood.

I'm not talking theory. Here's how my partner Juan and I are regenerating deforested land in Ecuador's precious cloud forests.

At Sueño de Vida we work in a meaningful way to heal land ravaged by deforestation. How meaningful? According to a recent UN Foresight Brief on climate change, 

--It is of the utmost importance to stop deforestation and to increase reforestation efforts around the world. Agricultural practices should focus on soil building, year-round soil cover with plants and the use of agroforestry methods.

That is exactly what we do here at SdV. You can help by helping us do what we do every day: plant forests that nurture soil, people, and community.

Click HERE to donate directly to our reforestation fund OR make a monthly pledge on our Patreon.

Thank you.

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Kristen Krash is the director and co-founder of Sueño de Vida, a regenerative agroforestry farm, education center, nature reserve in Ecuador’s Chocó Andino Cloudforest. Prior to moving, Kristen was known for her guerrilla gardens — productive green spaces she created in any available space. Now an urban transplant in the South American rain forest, she has adapted her urban gardening and sustainability skills to large-scale reforestation of degraded land. She takes a practical and accessible approach to helping others achieve more balance and self-sufficiency in their lives.

Kristen’s articles and interviews have been featured on popular sustainability platforms like Abundant Edge and The Mud Home, and in the Rainforest Regeneration Curriculum at the Ecological Restoration Camps.