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SyntroFi is Syntropic Finance

Syntropic Finance

SyntroFi is a term that was coined by Marcus Petz based on his observations of the work of Diogo Jorge and experiences at the CoFi Week in Belgium. He presented the idea in a paper given at the RAMICS Rome conference in November 2024. Stephanie Rearick of HUMANS has expressed an interest in developing the concept.

The basic idea is based on that of forest succession, where by an area of forest may be denuded by a windthrow event or a forest fire. That area is then colonised by natural processes which leads to a succession from forbs to bushes to trees and a climax community of vegetation. This idea was first developed by Frederic Clements who had a rigid deterministic model leading to only one kind of climax community in an ecosystem. This model was questioned, notably by Arthur Tansley who postulated that there can be different paths followed and thus different climax communities resulting.

This idea of a climax community occurring naturally has been extended to creating a community deliberately on degraded soils for example. This is called syntropic agriculture.

The Jena experiment and forest restoration try and do this.

There is a large community of practice inspired by the idea of syntropic agriculture in Brasil. In Brasil, Diogo Jorge has begun to develop not only the vegetational succession with this process but also to develop the community. Here community is wider than the little community of Redfield as understood by social scientists, instead it is more akin to the ecological community as understood by ecologists. So development is to re-root the rootless human population in the natural world and the agricultural system to be adopted is not the extractive big ag model of Earl Butz. In truth it is an agroforestry approach rather than agriculture with more in common with permaculture and community supported agriculture. It is small scale and maybe described as bioregional if small units of bioregionalism make sense, rather than the massive bioregions or even watersheds which are in truth biomes.

However, the SyntroFi aspect is also present. As the cropsystem develops so does the financial tools and methodologies. This creates a financial climax community (as with any climax community the climax is a hypothetical end point that is aimed for, yet may not actually be reached). Increasing financial sophistication results, greater financial inclusion and resilience. Landless poverty is replaced by synergy with an indigenous population as part of the landscape who are kin with all who dwell within. In Diogo's case this is being achieved by use of commitment pools, NFTs and an AgroforestDAO, the DAO is increasing governance and participation. The participation is being fostered by an apprentice system and mentoring so that the founder effect of Diogo starting this process is mediated. It can also extend into other communities and has a glocalisation aspect.

CASE STUDIES of SYNTROFI

Process in terms of 3 minds and 3 states

Process of development of the ecology (financial ecology). NB the financial and ecological and human cannot be separated or reduced in terms of reductionism and greedy reduction - an integral approach is necessary to properly describe this development.

Trophic levels

Poverty is a state of absence of resources.

A state of poverty is the beginning state from which economic capability and capacity can start to be built to lead to economic dependency as a first trophic level in SyntroFi.

Economic dependency

For example a community currency dependent on external grants.

Financial capacity

This happens when financial literacy increases in the community so that a community economics can endogenously develop. However it does not reach autonomous financial capability as there is still an element of dependency on external knowledge, funding and support.

Autonomous financial capability

Endogenous economics is possible, as not only does a community have the capacity, but they also have the capability to act economically.

Related modes of finance

Less related modes of finance

  • High Finance
  • Trade Barter

Quotes

  • "When I speak of ruling “elites” it is not to cast them as “evil” in opposition to the “virtuous masses,” but to explain the distortions in human affairs that have developed over time and to suggest what may be needed to give civilization a chance of evolving toward higher levels of achievement and a more just and harmonious condition." Thomas Greco - The End of Money and the Future of Civilization New 2025 Edition Chapter Three, Pg1

Investigation

To investigate syntropic finance evidence of the process need to be collected. Ideally an experiment or simulation or game can be carried out to demonstrate the operation from early stages to later stages. As this is a new idea there are no exact examples, though there are analogous theories which may have some applicability.

  • Collect similar examples
  • Collect case studies of the elements
  • By gathering enough data to see if similar states and transitions can be derived
  • By action research to lift cases in transition between states (Community economics investigations)

Possible examples / sources of cases

Thought Experiment

Caution around technique

The technique of a thought experiment has been demonstrated by thinkers and scholars as an effective way to carry out an investigation. (e.g. Rousseau) Caution is needed in making sure that it does not lead to cherry picked evidence to support the experiment's findings with undue weight. Care also needs to be taken that it does not become a self-fulling prophecy where reality is twisted and then the twisted reality is claimed as proof that the original thoughts were correct rather than that they were inspirational in creating a model which reality has been shaped to (e.g. the Policy cycle which has been adopted as a mode of policy formation for governance in Australia). There is also a danger that a thought experiment that is plausible contains a memetic element so that it is repeated as if it is a fact rather than a hypothetical or potential state / process.

Finance & Thought

Commonly when people write of finance they are thinking of money as the source or finance and operating in a monetary economy. This is the contemporary understanding where we consider things from the situation we are familiar with. However, syntropic finance can refer to a process of syntropy which has a futuristic element that is not present. It also is based on conceptions of the past conditions, which may not have shared the same monetary economy we are familiar with.

Finance and financial mechanisms can be considered as moving varied capitals - not only financial capital i.e. money - and thus as a method of resource distribution. Foe example human capital is a part of syntropic finance. It must be so that there is a knowledge of banking that enters into a situation where banking has been absent. The agents of banking will be bankers and must be considered as part of the financing. Money alone cannot substitute for that expertise and the experts to carry it out. Thus economy here does not mean ONLY a monetary economy, but rather economy refers to the method of resource distribution and resource is synonymous with capital as in a multicapital approach.

Economy & Ecology in Thought

Conventional economics may try and atomise these aspects, but in syntropic finance they must both be considered and integrated. There is a regenerative aspect of syntropy which is dependent on the biosphere being sustainable. There is an element of scope - syntropic finance is not applicable at the global scale. It is likely applicable at the bioregional scale and maybe at more local scales. As it is dependent on outside resources being mobilised in its early phases and in its later phases on being endogenously sustainable there are area limits which apply. It is a moot point as to if the whole globe is required to some degree with inputs to some degree or just how small a scale would be viable. However there is certainly a limit on larger scale for the initial conditions to be found from which syntropy can develop. IN this thought experiment I am considering the bioregional level as the appropriate scale - One Earth gives examples of bioregions and ecoregions which may be an appropriate scale. If we want to think in human terms we might consider the areas which formed tribal existence in indigenous terms and we can see some examples on Native Land.

Simulacrum of Syntropic Finance

Here I imagine an idealised case study as posited in my paper on methodological utopianism. The simulacrum draws on what I have seen with Diogo Jorge, writings in BioFi, CoFi and other financing mechanisms. It is also inspired by multiple capital approaches.

Imagine an initial state of a society that has suffered trauma so that it lacks its own food supply, it is "settled" on land / water that is degraded due to poor agricultural practices, wildlife is severely compromised due to extractive practices so that alpha, beta and gamma biodiversity are all low. The people are lacking in cultural richness, largely dependent on outside resources and ill both psychologically and physically. The high illness burden is augmented by cycles of debts and chemical dependency. There is poor family structure, low educational attainment and out migration is the likely trajectory for those in this place. There is not a recognizable community, rather there is a milieu of shifting individuals who pass through or escape if able and if not are effectively imprisoned by material, cultural and financial poverty. THIS state I would call Poverty.

In this poverty inputs are lost and there is a vicious circle (Myrdal) in operation. Inputs here might be benefit money, food aid, and food that is input may well be from the factory end of the foraging, farming, factory food system transition. As this is a thought experiment we can suggest that the people are not able to cook good food - more they reheat processed food or eat a nutritionally limited diet and suffer from malnutrition (meaning poor mineral / nutrient diets not necessarily insufficient calories alone). Any inputs are likely cash transfers or food aid.

POVERTY: Finance consists of helicopter money, benefits such as income support, and outside agencies administering and providing money. Finance in terms of non-money resources means food aid, medical aid (peripatetic community clinics), outside cultural input (likely limited to basic education if present at all), outside experts and not community empowerment. In terms of democracy and the ladder of participation there is a more paternalistic and less participative democracy in action. Power is not invested in the area and the locals. What power is there is likely controlled by strong dominating individuals or those favored by the outside input givers.

There is a low level of entrepreneurship and what new industries and businesses that do arise are dependent ones such as sweat shops, service (such as exist are temporary, such as harvest work or tourism support) and low level agriculture / extractive industry rather than generative of intellectual capital or higher level processed goods and services. There is little to no wealth generation. There are no or very very few high net-worth individuals. In all likelihood any of high wealth own most of their wealth in other places and are part of a different community with peripheral / marginal participation in this bioregion.

The food production techniques are extractive and destructive. For example chemical agriculture to replace the stolen soil nutrients. GM and mainstream crops bought as outside inputs by debt farmers. Cash crops rather than local food crops. We can see an example here of how no till agriculture is contrasted with destructive agriculture: One Straw Revolution of Mansanobu Fukuoka. NB this is agriculture and not agroforestry so it does not reach the highest level in syntropic finance.

ECONOMIC DEPENDENCY

While superficially this looks little better than poverty, there is a level of stability to the society in this condition. Community can be spoken of rather than just a milieu. There are some higher net worth individuals who are connected to this place. Ownership structures may exist that are not only tenant famers, but actual ownership outright of land as a resource.

See also