3 Day Immersive Course in SYNTROPIC AGROFORESTRY (Aarhus)

Growing Perennial Crops in Living Polycultures

How can we grow fruit, berries, nuts, herbs and other perennial crops together in systems that are productive, resilient and able to regenerate the soil?

Syntropic agroforestry—also known as successional agroforestry—offers a practical approach to this question. Instead of separating crops into monocultures, it brings together plants with different functions, lifespans and growth patterns. By working consciously with succession, density, vegetation layers and active management, we can create productive agroecosystems inspired by the way natural ecosystems develop.

Join us for three immersive days of theory, observation, design and practical fieldwork. Together, we will explore how the principles of syntropic agriculture can be adapted to Danish and northern European growing conditions.

You do not need previous experience with syntropic agroforestry. The course is for anyone curious about growing perennial crops in diverse, living systems—from gardens and allotments to schools, community projects, orchards and farms.

What will you learn?

During the course, you will explore:

1. Forest ecology and natural succession
2. The principles of syntropic agriculture
3. How to combine productive crops and support plants in a polyculture
4. The roles of plant density, vegetation layers, timing and succession
5. Practical establishment of a successional agroforest
6. Pruning and other management techniques that guide the system’s development
7. How to begin designing a syntropic system for your own site

The course combines classroom learning with hands-on fieldwork. We will begin each morning by developing an understanding of the ecology and principles behind syntropic agroforestry. After lunch, we will take that knowledge into the field.

By moving directly between theory and practice, you will experience how design decisions translate into real plants, distances, layers and working methods.

Help establish a new experimental agroforest

During the course, we will prepare and plant several new agroforestry rows at Egelund Madskov.

The system is a practical experiment in applying syntropic principles to a classic apple orchard. We will investigate how apple trees and other perennial crops can be combined with berries, herbs, biomass plants and support species in a diverse and actively managed polyculture.

You will take part in the establishment step by step—from understanding the design and preparing the rows to positioning and planting the different species.

This is not a visit to a finished demonstration system. It is an opportunity to participate in its beginning, engage with real design choices and help create local experience with syntropic agroforestry under Danish conditions.

We will also explore the management of more developed systems through examples from SolRa’s agroforest on Zealand and case studies from temperate Europe and the tropics.

On the final day, we will share our design process and invite you to begin sketching your own ideas—whether you are working with a backyard, an allotment, a school garden, an orchard, a farm or another piece of land.

About the course site

Egelund Madskov, www.happyfoodforest.com , is a nursery for fruit and nut trees on the southern outskirts of Aarhus, close to the woodlands and landscape around Moesgaard. The nursery has a particular focus on robust apple varieties and other fruit trees, nut trees and berry bushes.

The land is being transformed from former horsepaddocks into a productive growing area. Several experiments with soil regeneration and agroforestry have already begun, including alley-cropping systems and two small syntropic trial plots.

In 2026, Egelund Madskov is establishing its first 500 m² experimental syntropic food forest. It will serve as a local learning site and as the first step towards a longer-term vision of establishing 10 hectares of syntropic food forests in and around Aarhus.

Course host Boris Wortmann came to regenerative agriculture through the Soil Food Web approach developed by Dr Elaine Ingham. After training as a Soil Food Web laboratory technician, he began working with soil regeneration, plant propagation and the production of fruit trees. His continuing question is how perennial food production can become both ecologically regenerative and practically workable.

Your teachers

Josipa Bicanic

Josipa has studied and practised successional agroforestry since 2016 and planted her first experimental system in Denmark in 2021.

With a background in agricultural development and ten years of experience in forestry and environmental education, she was searching for ways to meet human needs—particularly our need for food—without degrading the ecosystems upon which we depend.

Meeting Ernst Götsch during his first European tour brought these interests together. Since then, she has worked with the principles of succession, observation and active participation in natural processes. Through SolRa, she is helping develop practical experience and a community of syntropic practitioners in Denmark.

Saul Avery

Saul brings together experience from wildlife conservation, agriculture and agroecological farming across Europe, Australia and Brazil.

His work has led him to explore how people can become active stewards within productive ecosystems, growing nutrient-dense food while also creating soil and habitat. He has met Ernst Götsch and visited mature syntropic systems in the tropics, gaining direct experience of the principles upon which syntropic agriculture is based.

Now based in Denmark, Saul co-facilitates a 100-hectare regenerative research farm showcasing different forms of agroforestry. Through the non-profit organisation SolRa, he investigates how syntropic agriculture can function within a temperate climate.

Together, Josipa and Saul combine international experience with the practical challenge of adapting successional agroforestry to Danish conditions.

Course details

Location
Egelund Madskov
Hørret Skovvej 16
8320 Mårslet
Denmark

Dates
23–25 October 2026

Schedule
Daily from 08:00 to 16:30.

The programme includes lunch and two snack breaks each day.

Course fee
DKK 3,500 per participant, including food.

Reduced-price places are available for students and participants with an annual income below DKK 200,000. Please apply for a reduction when registering.

20% discount for early bird registration before 1.09.2026

Language
The course will be taught in English. Questions may be asked in Danish, and clarification in Danish will be available when needed.

Registration

Please register using the form below. Once we have received your registration, we will send you the payment details.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1CQUIrHrkb7Yq1jdZdcX1Zzmdzg1tdh1KnFAoT-JOjMA/edit

Your place is confirmed when payment has been received.

Questions and accommodation

For general questions, please contact:
nordicsyntropics@gmail.com

For information about possible accommodation options, please contact:
boris.wortmann@gmail.com