Syntropic Farming
In the U.S alone, food scarcity and areas lacking availability to fresh produce have been skyrocketing at an alarming rate- and this rate is exponentially perpetuated by our most commonly used agricultural practices. Mainstream agriculture involves controlled rows of uniform crops, usually of the same kind, planted in soil that is tilled yearly. This yearly practice of tilling soils and removing all other competition in each cultivated area gradually depletes layers of topsoil, rapidly depletes nutrients unique to each crop rotationally grown, and gradually result in erosion of nutrients, topsoil layers, and gradual evaporation of the soil's water reserves. But, most importantly, these unsustainable practices result in less land that is able to be farmed, while reducing the nutrients available in an
To read more about mainstream agriculture, click here
That being said, syntropic gardening is one of the keystone techniques that I use for expanding food security for communities of people, animals, and plant life alike. Each syntropic garden establishes unique, complex food systems that benefit the surrounding landscape and wildlife while producing exponentially productive food systems for human consumption.
I employ this gardening technique through as many areas as I can wherever I'm staying; establishing 4 that surround my personal encampment/dwelling while creating more for others as a landscaping businesses, the services of which you can explore here:
Each of these syntropic gardens have a combination of native plants, fruit and nut trees, edible greens and crops, and cover crops with biomass plants. To read more about the role of each of these components and the "6 Steo Process of Syntropic Farming" click here:
Mainstream Agriculture Continued:
As this process of cycled crops continues, the only additives to compensate for this nutrient and volume loss are oil-derivative-based fertilizers. After these fields are cultivated with a series of the same crops, each rotated through the course of each year, any outside "competition" from wildlife, pests, drought, rain, etc. are "overcome" and "battled with". As this competition continues, pesticides, herbicides, and cancer-causing chemicals are used as an effective repellent to most of this obstacles. As time passes, the soil that these crops grow in are deprived of nutrients. These nutrients are subsidized with synthetic fertilizers (all of which are created and sold using byproducts from the oil industry and left over reserves from war chemical caches stored from World War II.). This combination alone causes a gradual degradation of not only the soil itself but also the surrounding landscape and wildlife.
Living as a Nomadic Steward
The Term Nomadic Steward is something that I created not only to describe what I do, but also as a way to identify all the other people that pursue this way of life.
Shelters and encampments are on of the most essential parts of maintaining this lifestyle; if your living space or sleeping space are uncomfortable or lack any of your necessities, you're either not going to stay there or lose your mental health. And every biome that you live in comes with different challenges and setups. The North-East for example has been increasingly humid over the last handful of years. This comes with the worldly-truth of moisture, fungus, rot, and skin conditions. However; with the right medicinal plants transformed into salves and vinegar sprays and infused alcohols; a nomadic steward can adapt to these worldly truths.
The Seed Collection
An essential cornerstone for living a lifestyle such as this is the seeds, plants, trees, medicines, materials, and crops that I grow and spread around the site my shelter is set up in. As such, one of the most important and most exciting parts of this lifestyle is the SEEDS. And as such, I've included a list of everything that I have+ spread right here :)