UNHIDE Agroforestry - A Knowledge Exchange Latvia- Sweden 2023-25 - Report - Page 19
global environmental degradation and are extremely vulnerable to climate change. This poses a far
more immediate and large-scale threat to ecology,
economy and food security—making reform should
be a top priority.
To some extent, we expect a collapse—at least in
parts of the food system,” Etta and Jona explain.
“COMPARED WITH TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE,
WHICH CONSUMES A LOT OF
INPUTS AND ENERGY, THESE
NUTS FALL TO THE GROUND
WHEN RIPE. WITH SIMPLE
HAND TOOLS, YOU CAN
GATHER WHAT YOU NEED,
WHEREVER YOU LIVE. THERE
NEEDS TO BE NUTS EVERYWHERE, SO WE DON’T
DEPEND ON LONG-DISTANCE
TRANSPORT.” - Jona
NEED FOR A “HUGE
GENETIC VARIATION
GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT”
With monocultures and monoculture-like orchards,
the risk of pathogen and pest outbreaks increases,
whether in nut trees or cereals. Etta and Jona stress
the urgency of identifying resistant varieties to the
fungal diseases devastating European chestnuts.
“While Asian chestnuts—Chinese and Japanese—
are resistant to ink disease and chestnut blight, it
is crucial to create new resistant hybrids by planting Asian and European chestnuts together and
allowing cross-pollination to generate new genetic
combinations.”
This will be most effective if as many people as
possible plant trees in different locations across the
country, and, when the trees are fruit-bearing,
plant the seeds from these trees, selecting for
cold-hardiness and large nuts—to generate a large
genetic variety of productive, healthy chestnut trees
for northern conditions.
During our visit, we had a group conversation
about “societal collapse acceptance” and how to
translate it into practical, long-term adaptation, considering our reliance on diesel-powered machines,
the number of crops dependent on irrigation, pesticides, and fertilizers, the scale of the system, and
the number of animals reliant on external inputs.
“The only way to reach sustainability is for the
masses to produce their own food. When only a
few giants produce for the masses, people lose
resistance and the ability to withstand adversity.
•
Suggested reading: “BEYOND THE WAR ON
INVASIVE SPECIES - A permaculture approach
to ecosystem restoration”
•
SLU’s Species Data Bank: Reported finds of
sweet chestnut in Sweden.
•
Trees for fodder: Sweet chestnut leaves and
sprouts have a long history in southern Europe
as nutritious “tree hay.”
•
Invasive plants and weeds often prefer sunny
spots and bare soil, and are less dependent
on mycorrhiza than species further along in
forest succession. When clearing ditches along
roads, or exposing bare soil for planting annuals, we create favorable conditions for these
pioneers.
•
Allowing unwanted plants to become food for
ruminants is more energy-efficient than trying
to eradicate them. For example, robinia leaves
provide crude protein for ruminants. Slightly
poisonous plants like robinia can even be beneficial, helping control stomach and intestinal
parasites.
