I, Maria Rothe from Jena, am lucky enough to be one of these young people. In Bolivia I will be working on a project that uses a specific cultivation method to produce vegetables for personal use, for example, and at the same time tries to make the very poor soil more fertile. This method is called dynamic agroforestry (DAF for short). It involves planting trees and plants for food needs as densely as possible and taking advantage of the benefits that come with it.

The farm I will be at is called Mollesnejta and is located on the edge of the Andes - 2,700m above sea level. The altitude is a first indication that it is not easy to grow crops under these conditions. For the farmers in the area, however, a sufficient harvest is essential because at least their own families have to be provided for. DAF is the ideal way to ensure this is sustainable over several generations.

Photo: Maria Rothe

Well, there is an exciting project there and I have the opportunity to go there. My application from last year to the BKHW e. V. organization that coordinates the volunteer service was successful. However, there is still a catch: the coronavirus is still raging around the world. That's why it was not clear for a long time when a departure would take place. In order to start the volunteer service anyway, the BKHW also offered the opportunity to start in Germany. The PIENSA! Foundation helped me with this. Thanks to the contact I was able to work for the Naturefund association in Wiesbaden for two weeks and get to know the DAF method in Germany.

Photo: Maria Rothe

Dynamic agroforestry is not only found in Bolivia, but also on a field near Wiesbaden. Naturefund planted DAF strips on this field in 2016. I stood on these several times over the two weeks and cut back the rampant plants.

Berry bushes, herbs, strawberries and flowers grow there in a wild mix alongside fruit and nut trees. Unfortunately, in some places not many vegetables had been planted, but grass was growing instead. In other places, chervil and thistles were doing well. All of them, grass and "weeds", but also the withered or dried parts of the plants are cut off. The cuttings are left on the surface, which serves as mulch for the other plants. Soil cultivation is avoided as much as possible in the DAF.

Nach der Zeit in Wiesbaden konnte ich dann noch ein Seminar zum Anlegen eines Dynamischen Agroforstsystems besuchen. Im Ökodorf Sieben Linden wurde das, was ich bisher auf dem Acker gesehen hatte, mit Theorie unterfüttert.

Ziemlich am Anfang stand eine grundlegende Frage. Eine solche hatte ich mir vorher nie gestellt und ich glaube nur wenige denken überhaupt über das Thema nach, obwohl es immer wichtiger wird. Auf ihrer Antwort baut auch das Konzept des DAF auf. Diese Frage lautet: Wie entsteht überhaupt Boden? 

Unsere Nahrungsmittelproduktion ist auf fruchtbare Böden angewiesen. Wenn diese auslaugen (z.B. durch intensive Landwirtschaft) sinken die Ernteerträge. Nur Wälder oder Savannen können Böden aufbauen, aber dafür braucht es viel Zeit. Es ist deswegen besonders wichtig, unsere Böden zu erhalten. Am besten geht das durch eine Vielfalt der angebauten Pflanzen, durch Bodenbedeckung (um Erosion zu verhindern) und möglichst wenig Bodenbearbeitung. 

Photo: Maria Rothe

Dynamic agroforestry manages to build up soil and at the same time generate income. I will soon be able to see with my own eyes how well this works. I will probably finally arrive in Mollesnejta in mid-November, as the flight date has now been set. Thanks to the PIENSA! Foundation, I have already learned a lot and am looking forward to my time in Bolivia.