SPRING SYNTROPY
with Dan Kelly

Dan Kelly is a Pākehā of now-distant Irish extraction. He grew up in Wellington but has been based in Auckland since 2008, supporting a number of different urban agriculture projects. Dan is a doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland. His research explores the transformative possibilities associated with more urban-grown food. He is a pāpā, proud tangata tiriti and the kaiawhina for the food forest at Papatūānuku Kōkiri marae.

How do we grow a food forest from scratch? Or how can we retrofit an existing garden to grow something more supportive and diverse? Explore the method of syntropic agroforestry to learn how to grow food in a way that isn’t just inspired by nature, but actively makes it better.

Join us for a full day of syntropy at Kelmarna. Inspired by indigenous practices and tested for more than 25 years in Brazil, syntropic agroforestry is now spreading around the world, celebrated for both its carbon sequestration and ability to produce food without fossil fuels.

Dan will draw on his practical experience in the food forest at Papatūānuku Kōkiri marae sharing the basic principles behind syntropy and practical guidance on how to plant in your new or existing food forest using the syntropic approach. Utilising a game-based format, you’ll select your own combination of plants and design a food-producing forest organised according to the rules of syntropy.

Following a shared lunch, join Dan in the tree rows at Kelmarna to put your new knowledge to practice. We are undertaking a retrofit toward more diverse food production and support planting in some parts of Kelmarna's site, and it's the perfect opportunity to learn through doing and digest your new knowledge.

Tickets include:

theoretical and practical introduction to the syntropic approach
a game based design exercise and access to resources
recommended further resource and reading
cooked shared lunch
practical working bee component in Kelmarna's tree lines

The rain date for this Event is Saturday 4th October.

This workshop has a working bee component and uses a pay-what you can model. Please select your desired ticket price and support Kelmarna by learning through doing.

We look forward to seeing you on the farm soon!
Kelmarna Community Farm Workshops Program.

Please refer to the Kelmarna Community Farm Workshops policy for terms and conditions

Spring Syntropy with Dan Kelly

Choose your tickets

Sliding scale - Pay-what-you-can ticket