Synecoculture™ Principles
Learning Kit
Ver. 0.33e
October, 2020

Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.
Synecoculture Association
Written by : Kei Fukuda, Yoko Honjo
Supervised by : Masatoshi Funabashi

The Microcosm that Extends Under Your Feet
How much of a beneficial role does the soil play, which extends beneath our feet? The layerof topsoil created by plants and animals working in unison has the power to turn rainwater
into groundwater, nurture abundant and beneficial microorganisms, and protect us fromvarious diseases.
The healthy topsoil that supports our living is diminishing all over the world. Plants are
disappearing, animals have been driven from their natural habitats, fields are turning
barren, waterways including rivers and seas are murky, and cities are covered withconcrete and asphalt. At the same time, all this destruction has simultaneously clarified
what role we should play in the future.
Returning back to breathing soil.
Observing the function of soil, the idea is to build up an abundant cycle of nature incoordination with other plants and animals. To bring back the scent of bountiful nature andthe flow of pure water that has supported the breath of so many living things back into ourdaily lives. We should by all means recreate what has been destroyed. Taking lessons
learned from our mistakes and make the future ecosystems even stronger and more
plentiful.
The environmental damage caused by the action of human beings over the past 10,000 years
since the introduction of agriculture has simultaneously focused our attention on thinking
scientifically about the mechanisms of topsoil. Amidst the global biodiversity crisis that wehave been facing this century, industries are just now beginning to turn their attention to thesoil on which it is based. Why was such an abundance of resources that we could exploit
blindly for thousands of years cultivated on land and sea? Why was it necessary for so many
lives born on Earth to actively cover its land surface?
There is a ray of shining hope from the past ten years of research on Synecoculture farming.
Humans are capable of building up nature than just merely destroying it. Human beings are
the first living species that can go beyond instinct and consciously augment their ecosystem.
Making full use of such knowledge, I would like for everyone, everywhere, as living members
on Earth, to return to a way of life that contributes to the abundance of our topsoil andecosystem.
This kit came about from such an aspiration.
Now, please free your mind as you look inside this guide. Listening closely to the voice of thesoil with an expanding microcosm at the base of your feet, and slowly feel its touch andwarmth. Therein should dwell the unborn child of a future we should create along with thehistory of plentiful life that has evolved on Earth.
June, 2020 Masatoshi FunabashiiThe power of healthy topsoil

Rain falling on land with sufficient
vegetation is filtered by topsoil andbecomes groundwater with suitable
nutrition. The water then pours into thesea, and brings up sea life.
Humans benefit from such well-balanced
ecosystem in many different ways.

On the contrary, rain falling on the land
where the vegetation has been destroyed
washes away the topsoil in the form of
mud. It pours into the sea, and ends up
harming sea life.
The goal of the Synecoculture principles
is to lead to a symbiosis between humans
and nature by means of promoting land
to recover its topsoil and vegetation.
Synecoculture Manual
P.8 Ecosystem servicesiiHow to recover topsoil on landwith damaged vegetation

Suppose there is a land where thevegetation has been destroyed and the soil
is exposed.

First, dig out rows at intervals of about 1.5
meters and make ridges. There is no needto plow.

It would look like this.
Plants are just fine without the ridges, but it
is convenient to have them as passages forhumans.
Synecoculture Manual
P.19 Ridge Building

Next, plant 1-2m tall fruit trees at intervalsof approximately 1.5m.
The fruit trees will provide semi-shades tothe plants that would grow on the ground.
Also, they will help nourish the insects andbirds that are summoned by the fruits.
Leaves will eventually fall in autumn andform mulches. You may even get some fruit.
Synecoculture Manual
P.20 Planting Treesiii

After planting the fruit trees, plant theseedlings. Attention and consideration
should be extended to sunshine, shade andsunbeams through the fruit trees. Then sow
seeds between these seedlings.

Mix a wide variety of seeds and sow them inhigh density. Aim for a ground covered as
dense and tight as possible with plants andvegetables.

The seeds will germinate and the groundwill be covered in green. In case there areplants such as grass originally growing on
the ground, the vegetation would recoverfaster with their help.
We may say that the vegetation has
somewhat recovered, once the plant settle
in their respective places, and the area
begins to look like a small forest. From thisstate, you can endeavor to manage andimprove the soil structure by replacing
plants with your favorite ones.
This process, which normally takes a longtime to develop in natural ecosystems, canbe achieved in a matter of a few years withthe help of humans. This is the foundation of
the Synecoculture principles, where
different species cooperate with each otherto build up the mechanism of topsoil.
Synecoculture Manual
P.10 Ecological successioniv

What is the Synecoculture Principles Learning Kit?
A farm based on Synecoculture principles is called a Synecoculture farm.
This farm makes good use of a circulatory ecosystem and requires no
fertilizers, pesticides or tilling. Introducing such things only leads to a
disruption in the self-organized balance of the ecosystem. The harvest is
supplemented with plant seedlings and seeds, but nothing else is brought in.
The ecosystem is sufficiently self-maintained by the provision of sunlight,
rainwater and groundwater, and the action of plants and animals that cometo the farm.
Synecoculture Manual
P.7 Deﬁning Synecoculture

The basic unit of this learning kit is the vegetation similar in size to about one
fruit tree found on the ridge on this farm. You may not see the ecologically
optimized state, but observation of cooperative effects will be possible. You
can learn and gain personal experience through rebuilding a healthy topsoil
first-hand. Even though it is a kit, there is nothing special needed in startingon your own. You can just use materials already available to you, or even if
you are missing something, you could find them at a nearby hardware store
or a gardening shop. You can start anywhere as long as you have 4 hours ofdaily sunlight, sufficient water, air, soil and plants.

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Getting started
The open field type

The planter type

If there is some land available to you, werecommend using it to construct andobserve the kit. Are there any weed-filled
grassy areas around the proposed site? If
yes, then it is probable that the surrounding
environment can maintain the ecosystems
with only sunlight and rainwater.
Otherwise, extra effort to make up for the
sunlight and rainwater would be of goodlearning experience.

The planter type is recommended when
there is no land available or you want tohave it on your veranda etc. A properamount of watering will be required,because the planter has no access togroundwater. Through the ingenuity ofmaking the planter, you can also receive
some benefits that are different from theopen field type.

Soil preparation

After finding a suitablesite and deciding thediameter...

Prepare a large planter and put
stones in the bottom of the pot.
Fill the lower half with low-nutrient
red soil.

Dig up the soil and pile it
up in the middle.

Then fill the upper halfwith black soil that
contains humus.

When a mound isformed, preparations
are done.

Raise a mound in the middle ofthe planter and preparations are
done.

Forming a mound creates changes in sunlight and water in the soil,
making observation under various conditions possible.
At this point, your soil preparations are complete.
So now let’s get ready for the plants!

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Plants to prepare
In the same way as a Synecoculture farm, you should plant in theorder of fruit trees, seedlings and then seeds. It is a good idea to
add plants such as ferns, moss and lichen to the learning kit inorder to add plant diversity as you find in a natural ecosystem. It is
possible to buy plants, receive them from others, or gather themby yourself.

Fruit trees
Plant a fruit tree in the middle. Trees that have falling leaves areprobably best at first. When it turns fall, leaves will fall and help
nurture the soil. If you go to a nearby hardware store, you canpurchase fruit trees that are easy to grow in the same area.

Vegetable and flower seedlings
When planting, the point is to mix as many plants of various
shapes and characteristics together as possible.There are manythings you gradually learn as you are nurturing plants, so you canstart with the ones that you like. The knowledge will come later on.
Besides just vegetables, be sure to include things such as flowers
and fragrant plants.

Bulbs and potatoes
Plant them together when planting seedlings. This will create
vertical diversity within the topsoil.

Seeds and beans
We recommend that you take seeds from seven or more different
types of plant families to mix together and plant. Take a close lookat the back of the packages. Some seeds prefer lots of sunlight(light-favored) while others do not (light-inhibited). Mix thelight-inhibited seeds together and sow them in lines with soil
cover, while scatter the light-favored seeds out evenly over thewhole area.

Ferns, moss, and lichens
You would not normally bother to plant these in fields or planters,
but let’s include these in order to increase the diversity of theecosystem.

Leaf mulch and cut grass
It is a good idea to place a thin layer of leaves, small branches,and cut grass on top of the soil to simulate natural leaf mold. It’sok however if there aren’t any. Leaf mold is generally sold instores, but grass mulch is not. You can mow and bring back somegrass from somewhere in the neighborhood.

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First planting method
Fruit tree
？
？

？

？

？
？

Centering on the fruit tree,
make a plan of where and what
to plant. First try to improveyour ability to imagine how
things will look like by actuallyplacing the plant seedlings on
the ground.
Begin planting once you have aplan worked out. Plant the fruit
tree first.

Then plant vegetables andflower seedlings around thefruit tree. You can plant bulbs
and potatoes at the same time.

Place moss, ferns and lichens in
between the seedlings.

Finally, plant your seeds. Bury seeds
that are light-inhibited into the soil,
and scatter seeds that arelight-favored around the surface.

At this point, a small
ecosystem connected withthe surrounding
environment has been
established which serves asa base for observing thestructure of the topsoil.
Because it is desirable tohave the surface of the soil
covered with organic matter from plants, it is a good idea tofirst lightly cover up any gaps with leaf mulch or cut grass.
However, as plants grow larger, the surface will gradually becovered with plant matter that has withered or been trimmedby hand. So there is no need to worry about that too much,
unless you are in an arid environment.

viii

The method of plant propagation is “mixed high density”
In Synecoculture principles, various kinds of plants are mixed and grown densely
packed together, and the area accepts various insects and birds that drop by. This isslightly different from fields where one type of crop is arranged in an orderly fashion.
When you plant in this new way for the first time, you may feel uncomfortable with thedensity and variety, but don’t worry and plant away!
Synecoculture Manual
P.15 Vegetation Conditions

Synecoculture fieldA familiar type of field

A place for various plants and animals

A place for only one type of crop

The way this time!
Ideally speaking, the soil should barely be visible when seen from overhead. Even whenspace is very limited, plants negotiate with each another and give one another space
so that a balance is gradually established. This is called self-organization, somethingthat is very important in Synecoculture principles.
At first, a relatively large number of plants are needed to get started, but once theecosystem has been made, it will be enough to simply add whatever plants you like inspaces that open up. Regeneration from fallen seeds are good signs of functioning
ecological cycles. Unlike fields that you are used to seeing, you do not need to reset theentire field for every crop harvest.

ix

Some Tips
If you keep the height ofyour fruit trees within arm’s reach,they will be much easy to manage.

The radius of the embankment
should also be within reach.

Get rid of any
unnecessary perennial plants.
For other plants, all you have to
do is use scissors to cut
any unnecessary parts and placethem on top of the soil.
Do this as if you are giving a haircut!

It is a good idea to put cut grassor trimmed branches inside
the recessed areas all around.

Be sure not to plow theminto the soil.

If a planter is slightly
raised up like a baby stroller,
there will be more
feelings of closeness.

If you want to growa lot more plants...

Connect them together andmake everything bigger!
You may even try introducing thepotted plants into an open field!

water

Try tocapture any water thatpasses through the planter
into an aquarium tank. Whatwould happen to any fish inside?
If the captured water is returnedto the top, this will create
water circulation.

x

No tilling, fertilization, or pesticides
The learning kit area will gradually grow and build up a topsoil ecosystem while manifesting various
powers of diversity. The roots of dead plants decompose in the soil, leave behind small veins, andcreate a soft structure which allows air to pass through. For this reason, no tilling is required.
Above-ground parts of plants that wither and pile up on top of the soil are decomposed by soilorganisms into natural fertilizer. For this reason, there is also no need to provide fertilizer. And,because the various plant, animal, insect and bacteria populations find their own balance, the area
will not be completely eradicated by a single type of disease or the feeding damage from a specific
type of insect. This also eliminates any need for pesticides. And because the small ecosystem isopen to the surrounding ecosystem network, unexpected visitors will also drop by. While observing
the learning kit area that changes day after day, please enjoy the time you spend interacting
together with it. Keeping an observation journal is also recommended.
Synecoculture Manual
P.14 Management Conditions

Let’s try our hand at increasing diversity
Leguminosae plants (beans)
Asteraceae plants (sunflowers)
Allium plants (onions)

Plant other seedlings
whenever ground becomes
available from harvested orwithered plants.

Amaranthaceae plants (pigweed)
Apiaceae plants (parsley)
Lamiaceae plants (mints)
Cruciferae plants (mustards)
Solanaceae plants (potatoes)..., and more!

It is also a good idea toplant more seeds.

Synecoculture Manual
P.11 Biodiversity
Synecoculture Manual
P.18 Search Method

Let’s try to feel the life cycle of plants
Seeds
Ripening

Great!

SproutingGrowingThank you!

Lively!

Things that take1 month to growleafy vegetables, etc.

Things that take 1 year to growfruits trees, etc.

Cute!

Everything will begin at the sametime when the planter isfirst set up, but the pace ofeverything will graduallyshift as different plants are
all mixed together.
Observe the differences inpace, any overlapping,think about the order,
and try to fill in any empty gaps.

SpringSummer

WinterFall

Things that growin rapid turnover
garden radishes, etc.

Things that grow over 1 season
Chinese cabbage, etc.
Synecoculture Manual
P.17 Space-Time Seedxi

Synecoculture principles learning “harvest”
We are often asked “What are the best things to plant in the field?” So, what exactly is the “harvest”
that you reap from fields and planters? The important thing here is imagination. Let’s inflate ourimagination. The first thing that immediately comes to mind is food, because there are so manydifferent things to eat. The eating of seeds, leaves, and plant stems. Roots, potatoes, fruits, beans,
etc. You can eat things raw, boiled, baked or pickled, also make juices and dried foods.

Additionally, activities such as making
tea, enjoying scents, and processing into
spices can be considered for parts thatare not directly edible. You can also makeoral medications, ointments, and bathsalts. You can enjoy flowers, pick cotton,
make cloth and threads, and substances can be used as a source for paper, household items andconstruction materials. Plants are used as fuel, and even coal originally comes from an ancient fern
plant. Alternatively, they can be used for decorations, sending presents or good luck charms. Evenfeelings such as the excitement you get when taking care of plants, the feeling of your heartbeat
thumping when there is bad weather, and thinking about what to do next time when plants die too
soon! Shouldn’t all of these things be considered as part of the “harvest”?

While many things are well known, there
are other things that only you will notice.
Finding your own theme and planting
whatever you like or find attractive will help you start interacting with the ecosystem as a first-handexperience. In other words, you will have direct access to the Earth’s ecosystem network through thehealthy topsoil. We believe what evokes this imagination would be the principal "harvest" in learning
the Synecoculture principles.

So we encourage you to plant whatever you are fond of and learn from the whole experience. Pleaseshare your experiences and your own methods of interactions with us, whenever possible. We arelooking forward to hearing from you.

xii

The front cover picture is an image of the “functioning of ecosystem cycle” in the raw. Imagine astory of a butterfly that starts flying from the mountains, travels from one green to an another, andeventually reaches the center of the city. This network is difficult to see inside cities, but bykeeping a learning kit close by, you can actually experience the response to visitors from the
network and the natural environment. Healthy topsoil is the largest foundation of any ecosystem
network, and you and the small amount of topsoil you raise are all part of this network.

This guide is based on the separate “Synecoculture Manual”
For any further details, please refer to that manual.
Synecoculture Manual
P.XX .............. ...............

It can be downloaded from the following URL.
https://www.sonycsl.co.jp/tokyo/407/“Synecoculture” is a trademark of Sony Corporation.