What urgencies and needs do we see in the world?

We can talk about the climate crisis but the problem is essentially the scarcity of resources, the scarcity of water. Many animal and plant species were removed/extinct. And without these, many ecosystems were left deficient and lacking the resilience to survive. Most lands have become potential deserts little by little. Making it impossible for humans to live in this habitat.

We find humans trying to survive in an environment that already has little life and little water. Fighting nature's processes of desertification to survive. In this context of scarcity and survival, the pillars of society such as health, education, food begin to crumble... So, as Ernst says, we need to make sure that with every intervention / interaction that we have with the ecosystem, the result impact is positive.

At Planta Floresta we strongly believe that it is not possible to attempt just a neutral impact. We need to make sure we produce more energy than we consume so that we can be truly sustainable.

What are our main objectives and strategic vision?

Syntropic Agriculture shows us a perspective of observation and interaction with the entire environment. But especially with the way we grow our food and how we first take care of the soil that will generate it.

We know that it is necessary to break down cultural barriers that prevent us from facing disabilities. And that this awareness of the ecosystem that surrounds us can bring social, economic and environmental changes.

As a main objective and strategy we want to show good examples of regeneration and food production so that there is no doubt that it is possible to live in harmony with Nature and in this way we have a higher quality of life. In this research process, we developed models for different needs that were thought out, tested and optimized. We believe that these models make it more accessible to adapt these principles of Syntropic Agriculture to the reality of the Portuguese or even European climate (in many situations). Ernst Gotsh developed this form of Agroforestry in Brazil, and many reference examples are there and not in Europe. Just as his life's work opened horizons for many people in that particular climate, we hope that our work will also facilitate and inspire many more people who live in a climate similar to ours.

Another of our strategies is education so that more people can explore for themselves in their homes and projects and thus improve knowledge. We teach, through courses, how the ecosystem works and how we plant trees imitating forests, so that everyone has water. We are not apologists for knowledge being retained and that is why we want to share not only what was passed on to us but also what we acquired from our experience in Syntropic Agroforestry. Creating an educational and inspiring center makes us hope for a more sustainable future and feels that we have an impact on a social level.

We also help many people from different projects and families to plant their spaces. Since 2021, we have started providing consultancy and support to more than 20 spaces in Portugal.

We also form partnerships with schools to bring younger people into contact with nature. We are promoters and co-founders of the TUFO project (@tufo.pt). An open-air school for children that has an Agroforest as one of the classrooms.