Syntropic Solutions to take the bitterness out of the cocoa industry's environmental and supply chain issues

Along with goals to dramatically lighten their environmental footprint through supply chain improvements, Mars is investing heavily in trialling alternative farming practices. One of the drivers for change is demand, as each year the company needs to source more and more cocoa for its product lines. Mars currently sources cocoa from over a million plantations across the globe, most of which are small, traditional monoculture farms. Unfortunately, cacao farming is becoming less and less viable for producers, thanks to the ever-increasing costs of inputs and the increasing volumes required to maintain production. And while production costs are skyrocketing, the selling price of cacao hasn't gone up accordingly to offset this. Additionally, intensive farming practices have depleted the nutrients and organic matter from the soil, meaning that cacao trees are less productive, weaker, and more susceptible to pests and diseases. As a result, it's becoming less viable for producers to farm cocoa, and many are turning to alternate crops.

Cacao farming is becoming less viable for producers, as they are reliant on inputs, of which the cost and amount required are exponentially increasing.

Mars is in a position where it must address these issues for cocoa growers so that it can continue to meet the world's growing appetite for chocolate but also meet the ever-increasing obligations of responsible corporate citizenship. The Mars Sustainable Solutions department was developed to conduct research to identify solutions to this crisis.

In 2021, Mars began funding a trial with James Cook University to identify whether farming cacao in a monoculture or with syntropic practices is better for productivity, growers and the planet.

The syntropic farming method is an intensive form of agroforestry that combines land regeneration and food production. It was developed by Swiss-Brazilian scientist Ernst Gotsch to provide yields of different kinds at all stages of succession while generating crop fertility and resilience.

The syntropic farming method is an intensive form of agroforestry that combines land regeneration and food production.

In 1984, Gotsch purchased a large area of deforested land in Brazil and began to implement syntropic systems to regenerate it whilst maintaining a profitable farm. Syntropic growing systems are characterised by dense plantings of a wide variety of plants with different lifespans, light requirements and functions. This is done in a way that mimics the natural systems within a rainforest, which is how soil and ecosystems regenerate naturally.

Thiago Barbosa from Syntropic Solutions

Today, the property is a 500-hectare rainforest, with 7 hectares dedicated to cacao production. Gotsch's cacao is renowned for its quality, with many large chocolate producers vying to get their hands on each crop. Although his comparative yields are similar to traditional growers, the outstanding quality of his product attracts a premium price tag and, therefore, better profits. His production costs are also lower as he uses no inputs.

A team from James Cook University is working with Syntropic Solutions, an Australian consultancy, to trial Gotsch's system. Thiago Barbosa, the owner of Syntropic Solutions and the project manager of the cacao trials, describes a syntropic growing system as a 'productive forest'. He likens a forest to a body, with all the parts of the forest having a specific function, like the organs of a body. Growing a monoculture is like expecting a single organ to work in isolation and assume many functions.

Within the syntropic hierarchy, cacao's natural place is in the middle understory of the forest. In order to provide better yields and greater pest and disease resilience, other stories need to be included to create a fully-functioning growing environment.

Early days on the Mars-funded trail plot.

The trial consists of a 3,500 square metre plot of cacao split into two sections; one for a traditional monoculture growing system and the other using syntropic farming practices.

Syntopic systems need to be carefully planned out to be as productive and efficient as possible. Plantings are divided into three stages, and each performs a different role in the landscape. Stages refer to the lifespan or 'succession' of different plants.

The first stage, or the 'placenta' stage, is dominated by fast-growing plants that can produce crops quickly. Placenta plants nurture and protect the slow-growing plants beneath their canopy while they're young and fragile. Placenta plants can also act as pioneer species that thrive in poor soil conditions or harsh environments. This stage serves a temporary role to improve conditions for future stages whilst providing an interim yield and therefore profit for the farmer. In the cacao trials, plants included in this stage were mung bean, pineapple, banana tree, papaya, cassava, mixed seeds, turmeric and ginger.

The 'secondary' stage is made up of slower-growing vegetation and trees that occupy the space after the placenta plants leave the system. These plants require more fertile conditions, which is why they follow the placenta stage.

A carefully laid out syntropic growing area can regenerate a landscape much quicker than nature could alone.

The final stage is known as the 'climax'. This includes trees with long lives that can be harvested for hardwood timber, nuts, cacao, coffee and other fruit in 20+ years' time. In the cacao trials, the secondary and climax species were cacao, avocado, mango, eucalyptus and African mahogany. Stages can be divided up further into stratums, which include emergent, high, medium and low. For the farm to absorb the most solar energy and therefore be the most efficient, it is best to maintain a specific mix of the four stratums.

All in all, a carefully laid out syntropic growing area can regenerate a landscape much quicker than nature could alone. While one cycle through the three succession stages would take around three centuries in nature, syntropic practices accelerate these natural processes, and one cycle can be achieved in as little as 20 years.

Once the initial preparation and plantings of a syntropic system are complete, maintenance includes pruning and harvesting the fast-growing plants and later removing them to make space for the upcoming or future plants in the system. Fertilisers, pesticides and fungicides are not needed, as the system provides its own fertility, pest and disease control. The chop-and-drop pruning method and spacing of plantings create little opportunity for weeds to flourish, so herbicides are also not required.

Pruning stimulates the production of gibberellic acid, a hormone that promotes the growth of plant cells, causing flowering and fruiting.

According to Thiago, the initial setup of the system took around a week of work. After this, maintaining the system required about a day per week. This includes pruning, harvesting and maintenance of ground cover. Pruning is perhaps the most important syntropic management practice to keep the whole system working efficiently. Pruning stimulates the production of gibberellic acid, a hormone that promotes the growth of plant cells, causing flowering and fruiting.

In syntropic systems, pruned leaves and branches are left to keep the ground covered and add biomass to the soil. As this organic matter breaks down, it stimulates the micro-organisms in the soil, which in turn supplies essential nutrients back to the plants. This emulates the soil regeneration process that occurs over time in forests.

While this trial has only been ongoing for a short time, the results so far are extremely promising. According to Thiago, 'It's like comparing riding a bike with driving a Ferrari.'

The plot of land chosen for the trial was degraded and previously used as a construction site. The ground was hard, clayey and severely compacted due to the use of large machinery on the site. The soils in the syntropic plot have changed drastically from compacted clay to a porous, rich profile full of organic matter. This change in the soil has been stimulated by the biodiverse root systems of all the different plant species present, as well as the chop-and-drop mulching which keeps the ground covered and adds biomass to the profile. These changes in the soil have not been reflected in the monoculture growing system.

The trial is already proving that syntropic cacao systems would be beneficial to land health, farmer well-being and profitability.

While cacao doesn't produce fruit for three years after planting, the syntopic system has already produced good yields of mung beans, turmeric, ginger, pineapple and bananas in the interim. These sorts of interim yields can provide valuable supplementary income and food in between cacao fruiting seasons or while farmers are waiting for cacao trees to mature.

The trial is already proving that syntropic cacao systems would be beneficial to land health, farmer well-being and profitability. The coming months and years will show whether these systems offer better yields of cacao, but all involved in the project do not doubt that this will be the case.