Research

Initial Hypothesis

In much of the research on living mulch, experimenters under-sow living mulch at the time an annual cash crop is sown, or soon thereafter. They often report a significant yield loss. I hypothesized that if living mulch and annuals were grown together for several consecutive years, without tilling or terminating the living mulch, the soil would become rich enough that there would be negligible yield loss, and possibly yield gain.

Syntropic Agroforestry

A couple years after beginning this research, I discovered Syntropic Agroforestry. This practice involves growing a diversity of plants, including trees, and “chop and dropping” the plants periodically to accelerate the system through succession (regeneration of soil life). Different flowers, fruits, capabilities, heights, and lifetimes are all selected to create a stable and balanced ecosystem that increases in fertility year after year, without amendments.

Regenerative farmers and agroforestry farmers have demonstrated that soil fertility rapidly improves when we grow a diversity of plants and thoughtfully manage competition (through grazing or chop and dropping). Agroforestry farmers have demonstrated that vegetables can be grown amidst trees, shrubs, and ground covers (see also: alley cropping).

Ongoing Research

As time progresses, I hope Soma’s research culminates into a simple and effective guide for growing vegetables in diverse and balanced ecosystems.

Soma’s continued research is inspired by agroforestry farmers around the world (especially in Brazil, Australia, and Africa) who have been feeding communities and regenerating ecosystems. There are some agroforestry farmers in temperate climates, such as in the United States, but they are rare. Soma’s research seeks to validate, reinforce, and demonstrate the viability of growing vegetables in an agroforestry ecosystem in zone 7b.