Since the spring, a community agroforestry project has been under way in Fischenthal in the Zurich Oberland. Over one weekend in May, 15 volunteers dug holes for saplings, weeded and spread mulch. Together, they are establishing a farming system based on the principles developed by the Swiss agronomist Ernst Götsch. The approach sees crops and trees grown as part of a near-natural cycle, with the aim of both improving soil fertility and promoting biodiversity.
Community syntropic agroforestry
Jana Bärlocher
Graduate of the ZHAW School of Social Work and project initiator
“I didn’t want to write a traditional literature review. I wanted to do something that could actually be put into practice.”
Diversity improves soil health
Across more than 300 square metres, cultivated crops and wild plants grow densely side by side in multiple layers, from the ground up to the tree canopy. This sets the system apart from many other community gardens, which, despite their collaborative nature, often focus on individual crops planted in rows. This diversity sequesters carbon in the soil, gradually builds up humus over the years and makes the land more resilient to drought. The project is being led by an interdisciplinary team specialising in landscape architecture, forestry and communications, with funding from the ZHAW Student Project Fund.
From seed to harvest
Participants can either lend a hand on a single community day or get involved throughout the growing season. Vegetables emerge from seeds planted by the participants themselves, while countless insects thrive in the newly established flower meadow. For those who feel powerless in the face of climate change, the opportunity to work with their own hands and witness tangible results can be a powerful antidote.
A place to channel climate concerns
Jana Bärlocher, a student at the School of Social Work and the initiator of this project, came to this realisation while writing her Bachelor’s thesis on climate anxiety. In interviews conducted as part of her thesis, participants identified community gardening and promoting biodiversity as two things that actually helped them cope. During the community workdays, these concerns are not carried alone, but are rather channelled into meaningful action through gardening.
