UNHIDE Agroforestry - A Knowledge Exchange Latvia- Sweden 2023-25 - Report - Page 17
“I started this because my life in the city was millions of nothing. In the soil, there are millions of
everything,” Jona states.
To enhance the underground cooperative exchanges that knit the living world together on their
approximately four-hectare site, Etta and Jona
plant and invite as much species diversity as possible. This helps loosen soil in the “nut field,”
compacted by earlier horse grazing. Because
nitrogen-fixing trees and plants accelerate succession, they have planted hundreds of small common/black alders (Alnus glutinosa), along with
comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and other nitrogen fixers in “islands” around the nut trees.
“The nut field is quite nutrient-poor—you can see
that from common broom (Cytisus scoparius) and
common gorse (Ulex europaeus) growing here.
They wouldn’t be present without a need for nitrogen; they are adapted to hard soils with very low
nitrogen. Both are considered invasive. Our view
is that you shouldn’t remove what arrives naturally,
as it most likely has a positive function. Eventually,
our nut trees will shade them out,” Jona explains.
According to soil scientist Dr. Christine Jones, a
globally recognised expert on soil health, weeds
are not invaders but messengers. They appear because something else has disappeared, acting as
the voice of compacted soil, imbalanced minerals
and collapsed microbial diversity. “Weed seeds
carry beneficial microbes passed down from the
mother plant, bringing whispers of their original
Grafted sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa).
ecosystem and kickstarting connectivity.” The
greater the diversity of plant families, the more
microbiomes are exchanged between root systems, strengthening the community and making
it more resistant and alive. Dr. Jones concludes
that “it’s not only the survival of the fittest, but the
survival of the most connected.”
“MARRIED WINE-GRAPES”
Intertwined with some of the walnut trees, Etta and
Jona grow wine grapes (Vitaceae spp.). “Wine
grape is a forest plant—it needs to cooperate with
fungi, but it doesn’t do that in modern agriculture,” they explain.
In nature, one role of vines is to cover and bring
down weaker or older trees, allowing succession
and complexity to increase. Using the ancient
technique of “married wine,” vines were grown
between trees, often with reeds planted beneath
to form a structure. Climbing the trees, grapes
reached several meters above ground, accessing
more sunlight, drying quickly after rain and avoiding mold and mildew. This system offered natural
protection against common vineyard diseases and
demonstrates the benefits of growing crops in
semi-wild forms that allow ecological interactions
and natural defense mechanisms.
To promote biodiversity and wildlife habitat, Etta
and Jona produce their own biochar and practice
Common broom (Cytisus scoparius).
