To cite: Götsch, E. (2026). Syntropic Agriculture. Agenda Götsch. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23886945
Foreword:
“Syntropic” (an expression derived from the Ancient Greek “syntropos”) I chose 11 years ago to name and to describe the outcome of what I had arrived at in my search to shape my interactions as a farmer in such a way, that they turn into a thoroughly beneficial event for all affected by them: For the piece of land I cultivate, its flora and fauna, as well as for the entire macro-organism Planet Earth. And then, additionally, also for me – time and again, to my greatest joy – in the form of abundant yields and finest quality of what I harvest.
After the première in Paris in 2016 of the film “VIDA EM SINTROPIA”, made by Dayana Andrade and Felipe Pasini, in which they presented my way of farming through examples from my own practice, this expression had been adopted worldwide by a broad public, then turned into a buzzword and got tossed into one common basket together with “sustainable”, “agro-forestry”, “food-forest”, “regenerative”, “ancestral”, etc.
In a mercantile way, this “syntropic” in the mean time often we encounter as a flavour-enhancing additive in discourses handling alternative forms of agriculture and in commercially savvy outfit workshops offered on this subject, as well as bait to arouse interest in papers and programmes dealing with “agro-ecology”, “agro-forestry” or other “sustainable alternatives” to our current way of practising agriculture.
May the following text contribute somewhat to clarify the origin and meaning of this term.
the author
Meaning of the term:
“Syntropy” versus “Entropy”
- “Syntropy” (Ancient Greek: syntropos) is the physical term for processes in which the actors involved absorb energy from their surroundings and develop towards states of aggregation of higher complexity.
- Syntropy (coming together for the purpose of forming higher order and greater complexity) is, as a physical phenomenon, the counterpart of
- Entropy (Ancient Greek: entropos). This latter one is the term used (also) in our modern physics for processes in which objects release energy to their surroundings and on doing this, developing themselves towards lower complexity.
- Syntropy (called “Negentropy” in the terminology of our modern physics) is treated only cautiously and tangentially – and if at all, rather hypothetically – in those few scientific papers that approach it as a possible physical phenomenon. The reason that it is not worked on, investigated and calculated, lies in our unilaterally rational-analytical method of apprehending our environment.
- That latter (rational-analytical way of thinking), however, is not the appropriate path of thought for grasping an occurrence that runs counter to “rationare” and “dissolvere”, because it is not commensurable with the process-sequences one is trying to grasp – sequences whose inherent quality is that of the syntropic kind of occurrence and whose order of events runs counter to entropic processes (that is, absorbing energy from their surroundings, materialising it and thus arriving at higher complexity). Such processes are not “pre”-comprehensible – they cannot be followed in advance – by means of our strictly unilateral rational-analytical approach to create knowledge and to understand the results from it.
- In fact, however, the dialectical interaction of the two complementary qualities of process-sequences (from the atomic level up to the entire universe) is an inseparable part of its being – of a system that is strictly respiratory on all levels. *
- (To this phenomenon, pointed at and illustrated in several figures by me since 2 decades, I will come back more detailed in a separate paper)
“Syntropic” used as an adjective to describe a kind of agriculture:
The adjective “syntropic”, used to describe a form of agriculture, makes sense from the moment onward, we succeed to achieve a positive energy balance through the cultivation and production of what we eat, as well as to generate the bulk of the raw materials we need to make our clothes and spend for a general comfortable housing. That positive energy balance, both with regard to the place where this operation is carried out, as well as when considered the entire macro-organism, “Planet Earth”.
( I have compiled the functional and philosophical foundations for it in a text to which I gave the title: “TAO”, “15 Principles For Our Comprehension Of Life” (published in 2016 in the “Agenda Götsch”). May those serve their reader as a key – first for entering and becoming familiar with them, and then, growing out of that, to apply them in his interaction with everything that surrounds him – to follow, or at least to try to follow, the concept I present there, which in every respect is bio-philic and built upon thoroughly functional criteria.)
Their condensed form emerged from the synthesis of conclusions drawn from the results of applying the sum of:
- what I had learned in practice from others during my professional life of more than 50 years up to that time, and
- elements of things seen, heard or read which, after having translated their message into my own understanding, tested as to how they function, when employed as part of our approach to farming and finally adopted from them, what had proved functionally, coherent and of good potential for application in our actions.
- systematic testing, concerning their coherence, of process-sequences and of intra- and interspecific patterns of relationship followed, for which certain hypotheses used in our biology had proved to me to be incommensurable with the reality – in order then, where appropriate, to replace those ones with an alternative that – presumably – comes closer (to the reality).
In retrospect, I am increasingly convinced that the rules to be applied, which could transform our participation and interaction into a bio-philic vector, beneficial for all submitted, affected and involved, would not be – or rather, not need to be – difficult or laborious in practice; but only different from the way we envisage it at present.
In fact: we could humbly only try to raise to the norm for our own interactions those ethical standards which all our sisters and brothers in the wild – plants and animals – exemplify for us by their behaviour: these are the principles of unconditional love and cooperation, and those of the categorical imperative (formulated by Immanuel Kant). (Act on each step of your being in such a way that you can at all times will that the principles underlying your intentions and your deeds be raised to principles of universal laws – that is, be applied (also) to yourself.)
These (principles), however, not merely set out as an ideal goal in the form of postulates in philosophical discourses, or their fragrance used as a balm for the soul in meditative exercises, but fully manifest as a firmly anchored ethical foundation in all our actions and being – just like that of our sisters and brothers in the wild.
The latter, for their part, living in this way, do not need to toil to “earn their bread by the sweat of their brows”. On the contrary: simply by fulfilling their function and carrying out the tasks arising from it, they realise that for which each of them – every individual, in all generations of all species (we too!) – came into being. And in doing so, they gain their (life) energy. Thus moved by inner joy.
( “Moved by inner Pleasure” )
The content of that postulate, “moved by inner pleasure”, translated for us, I dare to say, means roughly the following: (likewise) moved by inner joy, we could employ all of what our evolution from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens has made of us (That is: equipped with the capacity for abstract thought, and thus able to understand complex interrelations and to develop strategies through whose application we manage to gain synergetic additional effects. Equipped, furthermore, with the ability to develop efficient tools for the purpose to multiply our own strength, our scope of influence and our skills by their use) to increase life, rather than to exploit the existing raw materials and exterminate and squeeze out other living beings:
Then, out of wise foresight, we would set as our supreme maxim – that is to say, our guideline – and follow and apply it in all our thinking, wishing and acting, thus in every step of our being, that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” ( “more blessed”: further-reaching, more beneficial and, in the end, the only harmoniously functioning form – and hence the only one leading to prosperous thriving and lasting gain – for inter-cellular and inter-organic networks of relationships in a macro-organism, of which we inseparably are a part, whether we are prepared to accept it or not.)
Following from what has been set out above, the first question before we undertake anything will then always be: “How can I go about it, what can I do, so that my presence, my intervention, my contribution, transforms itself into a beneficial event for the entire macro-organism – and thus, indirectly, for me as well?”
Let us just imagine what we could achieve if we employed our entire potential of creativity, energy and skills to proceed in our interactions with our planet and the life on it, in a manner worthy of the name we have chosen for our species – that is, truly (!) as Homo sapiens sapiens!
Welcomed back with open arms by our All-Mother Earth, our one and only home, shared by us all, we would in a short time – together with all the life upon it – transform it again into one single great paradise !
Everything – the whole of creation – is “well” made. Functional. Conflicts and supposed problems arise as consequences of following patterns and applying criteria created by our ignorance. Enemies do not exist a priori; we create them ourselves.
The greatest external input we need in order to achieve, as a result of its application
. steadily increasing soil fertility,
. vigour and health of our plants and animals,
. high yields and the best quality of the crops we grow
and, on top of all that,
. at the same time a positive energy and life balance
is knowledge:
- Knowledge (first and foremost) concerning the eco-physiological functions and characteristics of all the species we are confronted with and in subsequence challenged in our day to day interactions to deal with (including ourselves!).
(A not considered discipline in our science, or when, only randomly treated.) That discipline by its side however, requires as a prerequisite for its elaboration that we replace our currently prevailing concept – with its way of seeing and approaching this item by looking pre-dominantly at profiting from resources, i.e. opportunistically exploiting them, as the reason for the existence of life on our planet and for the emergence of each individual of all species – with an approach in which criteria of tasks to be realised and resources to be created come to the fore that, when applied, serve to strengthen and increase life and lead to the provision of the raw materials needed for that purpose. - Knowledge concerning importance and functioning of soil life, that is of the entire micro- and macro-flora and fauna, and of their potentials for unlocking and providing minerals and for producing growth- and life-promoting ferments, enzymes, etc., as well as of their importance for an optimal water cycle.
- Knowledge and thorough understanding of the function, mode of action and dynamics of natural succession, together with the skill to adopt them as a part of available tools to increase our efficiency.
- Knowledge, ability and practice acquired through learning to plan, establish and manage agro-eco-systems that are similar in their dynamics and structure to the natural, original ecosystem which (before any major degradative, anthropogenically caused traumas) had come up at the site of our intervention since the beginning of our present interglacial period.
- Knowledge, practical skill and experience to achieve life-promoting strategies with synergetic additional effects that potentiate (their positive) impacts as a result of their application.
- Knowledge and capacity to foresee the consequences caused by omissions or induced by disharmonious and unfavourable ways of interactions with all which is surrounding us.
- Knowledge, consciousness furthermore, of our limitations.
Therefore, last but not least, on each step of our interactions, in all fibres of our being, humility towards- and deep, unconditional love for the whole creation.
Pirai do Norte, 02 October, 2026
Ernst Götsch