We make visions REALITY

Soils inspired by Nature’s Blueprint

Cosmos of diversity or substrate for quick profit? The way we see agricultural land has a lsting effect on it. Matthias Hollenstein from Mönchaltdorf in Switzerland has decided to see it as it is. And the result goes far beyond organic carrots.

An extremely familiar image: corn plant stands next to corn plant, optimally fertilized and stoically ready to produce nutritious corn cobs. Later, they are harvested highly efficiently, the kernels end up in a plastic bag - and at some point they appear before us as popcorn cups, in the cinema. Allow me to introduce monoculture*. It gives us corn on the cob, carrots and potatoes that all look almost the same and cost little. In addition, we have over-fertilized, depleted soils and highly sensitive plants that have to be treated with herbicides and pesticides to prevent them from dying. On the other hand, there is regenerative agriculture. For large and tasty yields, one thing above all is done there: Soils and plants are treated as they actually are.

Subterranean Bazaar and Internet of the Plant World

The image of the corn plant in rank and file suffers from one crucial point: plants are seen as lone fighters, growing solitarily towards the sky. Nothing is further from reality. Under the ground, each plant creates a nutrient-rich oasis for itself in the rootstock. It "sweats" valuable substances out of its roots - and supplies tens of millions of tiny creatures with them: Fungi, bacteria or viruses. In exchange, these help the plant to extract nutrients from the soil. They make them resistant to disease, heat and drought, promote root growth, neutralize soil toxins and repel pests. Plants, fungi and microbes are intimate partners in virtually every life process - and have been for many millions of years. But it all goes far beyond mere bartering. Plants also use the shared underground network to exchange information vital to their survival. Beans infected with aphids start to fight back - and warn their neighbors of the impending danger. Experiments in China have shown that tomato plants also behave in this way when they are attacked by the powdery mildew fungus. A kind of Internet of the plant world. However, this cooperation does not stand a chance in modern monocultures*. Projects of regenerative agriculture want to make it possible again. For example, SlowGrow Mönchaltdorf, in the Zurich Oberland.

Dream of the Future: Complete Agricultural Business

SlowGrow grows vegetables and crops and cultivates various specialty crops, such as tiger nuts, using sustainable methods. Instead of using plastic and herbicides to protect his soil from weeds, founder Matthias Hollenstein uses wood chips, leaves or grass clippings. This cover, called mulch, protects the soil from moisture and heat. It's a traditional method with a useful side effect: Over time, it creates humus, a natural fertilizer that binds CO₂ from the atmosphere - which in turn has a positive effect on the climate.

Meanwhile, traditional intensive agriculture produces around 15% of all harmful climate emissions** - and it destroys vast amounts of fertile soil. As early as 2015, the UN warned that soil erosion, declining yields and polluted groundwater are likely to drive millions of people to flee their homes - because their earth can no longer feed them. Regenerative farming doesn't know this problem: "After harvesting our crops, the soil is better than before sowing," says Hollenstein. And yields? The largest scientific analysis to date concluded: "Agricultural diversification promotes diverse ecosystem services without sacrificing yields" (Journal Science Advances, Nov 2020).

Matthias Hollenstein still leases land from third parties. In the near future, the farmer would like to have a complete agricultural business - the unity of land, farm and residential building. SlowGrow's most recent initiative is the Hoflabor, an innovation center for regenerative agriculture. A multifaceted innovation program on what they call the mosaic landscape is underway in the new research, development and experimentation department. More information about the Hoflabor project can be found here.

We at flowdays support the Hoflabor with our Christmas donation this year. On the one hand, permanently fertile soils are the basis of all higher life. On the other hand, we see parallels to human organizations - and also to our core values.

The time of highly specialized lone wolves is over. Today's working world requires agile cooperation, a high level of networking and a value-creating feedback culture. Regenerative agriculture, this cooperative cosmos of plants, fungi and microorganisms, can serve as a good model for us. Or to put it more succinctly: Nature invented it.

*Monocultures are the cultivation of a single plant species over several years. In Switzerland, so-called pure cultures are predominant. This refers to the cultivation of one plant species for one year with subsequent crop rotation.

**Source Agroscope and German Government Environmental Agency

More about Biodiversity can be found here: SRF | NETZ NATUR

Previous Engagements

2019 non-profit organisation KIVA – Accompanies people into independence

The non-profit organisation KIVA accompanies people into independence and the capability to act - in the spirit of the agile mindset.

Kiva, a US-based non-profit organization, has the mission to empower disadvantaged communities. It does this through crowdfunding loans for the impoverished. It aims to improve the quality and cost of financial services and remove barriers to global access to finance. KIVA provides opportunities to turn ideas into action.

Just as KIVA accompanies people into independence with small loans, flowdays supports organizations in freeing themselves from ballast, redefining themselves and building holistic competencies. We do this by enabling the teams to develop new structures and make their working methods more agile and to continue developing them further.

We see the goal of the KIVA concept to be related to our own, to empower people in their capacity to act. That is why we particularly like the idea of sharing our wealth and give our Christmas contribution to an organisation with the same vision. May our donation reach as many people as possible who turn ideas into action, thanks to mini-credits in contributions corresponding to a few Swiss lunches.

2018 Urpi Wasi - Support for single mothers in Peru

Urpi Wasi is Quechua for “Pigeon Loft”. About 350 children, from infancy up to age twelve, are cared for in the daycare centre, pre-school, and primary school. Only children from the neediest families are admitted to Urpi Wasi. As the foundation has long received more applications than it can accept, it sends a team to visit applicant families and assess their socio-economic situation. The parents are incorporated in the Urpi Wasi care program too, receiving instruction in parenting, education, life skills, nutrition, health and hygiene. Mothers are required to participate in the literacy program, and Barbara Casanova visits the parents at home. As she puts it: “We are wasting our time if everything we teach the children is simply thrown overboard at home.”

2017 Wabe 3 - Bees on Zurich’s Rooftops

Honeybee, the third largest livestock, plays a crucial role in keeping the ecosystem intact, but bee mortality is acute, which is why in 2017 we supported beekeeping on Zurich's Wabe 3 rooftops. Tom Scheuer and Anna Hochreutener make an important contribution to the diversity of nature in urban areas and share their enthusiasm for beekeeping.

Compared to rural areas, the city offers a greater variety of flowers and higher air temperatures. As a result, urban bees are more active and benefit from a versatile food supply. To the fact that the urban plants are not contaminated with pesticides, the bees respond with a high honey production. The industrious workers find their food in public parks and gardens as well as in private gardens and on balconies and terraces

2016 Pro Specia Rara Tree

Since 2016, we are happy godparents of a young apple tree from Pro Specia Rara.

Our tree will once become a proud tree trunk and stands on the beautiful farm Archehof Neuhof in the community Hildisrieden on Lake Sempach.

Pro Specie Rara was founded in 1982 to preserve natural seeds and biodiversity. They protect endangered livestock breeds and crops from extinction.