Synergistic gardens

Synergistic agriculture in Italy is having a great success. It was developed by Emilia Hazelip, Spanish permaculturist, in France. She tried to adapt Fukuoka's natural farming to the Mediterranean dry climate.

I had the honour and luck to know her, as I was involved in the project of Solaria Centre of alternative/renewable energies and permaculture in Italy. This project unfortunately failed, but she held a workshop there and we laid down a synergistic garden. This vegetable garden provided good food for the small community. And good fruits for later and other new synergistic gardens.
She died in 2003, but still today many people follow her conceipts. The concept of mulch garden is well known in Permaculture, mulching is a very common technique to cover the soil, retain humidity, fertilize the soil. The soil shouldn't be pressed or compacted, not even digged. weeds are removed by hand...
It is possible to visit some synergistic gardens that have been created in the last years in the surroundings of Florence.