Free Knowledge

for Organic Soil

Enrichment

Lets focus on making the gap between climate

change and real impact smaller by bringing

the global north and global south closer to

each other We want free knowledge on organic

soil enrichment for agroforestry farmers

worldwide

In April 2023 me and my partner got the

opportunity to drive overland from Amsterdam

to Southern Africa Mozambique to experience

the world and agroforestry up close It took

us three and a half months to arrive at the

destination and we got to see how beautiful

landscapes and cultures f low over into each

other We spoke to and slept at different small

scale farms in Eastern Europe Middle East

and Africa We learned that running a small

scale farm is tough and we were surprised

that only a very few farmers had heard about

agroforestry

Before going to Africa we subconsciously

believed Africa would be one big National

Geographic documentary but we found less

real wilderness than we had hoped for After

driving through a handful of East African

countries the following questions kept popping

up in our heads Why are so few people involved

in agroforestry while so many countries fully

depend on smallscale agriculture systems

Who analyses and formulates a solution for

overpopulation or malnutrition or for the

prevention of deforestation and the burning of

land in Africa

Free knowledge for organic soil enrichment for

agroforestry farmers worldwide

Agroforestry is practical and lowcost It

means that tree growing is combined with

farming It is integrated land management

that reduces human impact on land Perhaps

if science commerce governments and NGOs

combine their strengths even more eff iciently

people will f ind constructive answers to these

questions

I truly believe the solution starts with 1

relevant education 2 regional proof of

concepts and 3 knowledge It would be great

if small farmers have better access to more

specif ic knowledge and solutions The farmers

in agroforestry we got to meet during our trip

have a small strong and resilient network

but even these great farmers need specif ic

scientif ic knowledge that is diff icult to get when

you are in a remote place

Nobody could believe their eyes when a banana

tree grew out of poor beachy sand

Overall ending our trip at my dads agroforestry

project in Mozambique was the most positive

ending possible To create a food forest in the

coastal area is incredible To see people being

amazed that banana trees can grow out of

beachy sand was even better And seeing that

Harmonergys f irst intern is trying to create his

own forest with no funds 2000 km up north in

Mozambique was the best I hope he and his

future interns can access the right support to

grow opportunities for local communities I

saw agroforestry to be the way forward and I

hope more people are willing to join this new

collective mindset

Sijanda de Boer

Sijanda de Boer is Digital Marketer in the

Communication and Marketing department

of the VU Amsterdam and daughter of former

chairman of the reNature Foundation and

founder of Harmonergy in Mozambique In

2023 the VU approved her request for leave her

work to drive from Amsterdam to Mozambique

to visit her dads project

harmonergynl

wwwinstagramcomharmonergy

wwwlinkedincominelsarddeboer

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Sijanda

de Boer