Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Syntropic farming is a new and ancient permaculture practice that can be implemented in any region, in any climate, in limitless ways – even in your own back yard. For over a decade the Lotz-Keegan family have been implementing permaculture practices to regenerate a degraded hillside into an abundant food forest of native and exotic trees that feed their family, their community, the wildlife, the soil, and their souls.
Combining the practices of syntropic agroforestry with the principles of permaculture and their own deeply thoughtful approach to land regeneration, food growing, and lifestyle, this family is partnering with nature to create a humming diversity on the land and a positive story about the role of humans in an eco-system.
We came away from our shoot with so much invaluable information about the why and how of syntropic farming as it’s practised at PermaDynamics. For this reason we’ve made the full interview with Klaus Lotz available on our website, and all 10 full-length interviews, some of which we couldn’t include in the film, available on our Patreon page. Also if you’re keen to dig deeper into this style of growing food and regenerating soil, check out PermaDynamics' own videos available on their Patreon page.
Get access to all 10 full-length interviews: happenfilms.com/patreon
Join the PermaDynamics membership community: permadynamics.co.nz/membership
The full interview with Klaus Lotz: happenfilms.com/film/klaus-lotz-syntropic-farming
** Find out more about PermaDynamics at these links **
Website: permadynamics.co.nz
Instagram: instagram.com/permadynamics
Facebook: facebook.com/PermaDynamics.nz
** Find out more about Happen Films **
If you’re interested in supporting us to make more films, find us on Patreon: happenfilms.com/patreon
For more info about Happen Films, check out our website: https://happenfilms.com. We make short films and feature films, all with a permaculture, resilience, sustainability focus. Don’t forget to subscribe here on YouTube!
Find us on social media
Instagram: instagram.com/happenfilms
Facebook: facebook.com/happenfilms
Twitter: twitter.com/happenfilms
** Film credits **
Directed and written by Jordan Osmond & Antoinette Wilson
Produced by Antoinette Wilson
Cinematography and editing by Jordan Osmond
Story feedback and suggestions from Nick Tucker
Additional drone footage by Byron Birss (instagram.com/byron.in.new.zealand)
1990 photo by Malcolm Rands
** Thanks! **
To our wonderful supporters on Patreon, who helped make this film happen:
Kimberly Levesque, Matthew Zimmer, Rahul Banerjee, Jonathan Wise, Georjette Mercer, Mary Conlan, Kate Hall, V.J. Raghavan, Pierre Blom, Cicely Jette Stewart, Brett Davidson, Tony Schaufelberger, Namaste Foundation, Sankar Madhavan, Sue Campbell, Melissa Tripodi, Filip Zeman, Greg and Rachel Hart, Brian Newton, Susan Hunsberger, Kirti Patel, Kelly Milikins, Nathan Kitchen, Geoffrey Torkington, Alex Muir, Tiitus Laine, Rex and Jo, Jess O’Shea, Moana Kiff, William B. Everett, Ron Hastie, David, Lauren, Carolyn Gillum.
** Subtitles and closed captions **
In the past, many people have generously taken time to translate our films here on YouTube. The Community Contributions function no longer exits, but if you’d like to contribute a translation please contact us. Making the film available in your language and to your community would mean the world to us!
Chapters
00:00 - Intro to Syntropic Farming
2:36 - 17-Year-Old Food Forest
7:48 - Market Garden and Orchard
12:20 - Native and Exotic Plants
14:45 - Annuals in the Food Forest
17:29 - Tropical Hothouse
19:17 - 3-Month-Old Food Forest
Syntropic farming is a new and ancient permaculture practice that can be implemented in any region, in any climate, in limitless ways – even in your own back yard. For over a decade the Lotz-Keegan family have been implementing permaculture practices to regenerate a degraded hillside into an abundant food forest of native and exotic trees that feed their family, their community, the wildlife, the soil, and their souls.
Combining the practices of syntropic agroforestry with the principles of permaculture and their own deeply thoughtful approach to land regeneration, food growing, and lifestyle, this family is partnering with nature to create a humming diversity on the land and a positive story about the role of humans in an eco-system.
We came away from our shoot with so much invaluable information about the why and how of syntropic farming as it’s practised at PermaDynamics. For this reason we’ve made the full interview with Klaus Lotz available on our website, and all 10 full-length interviews, some of which we couldn’t include in the film, available on our Patreon page. Also if you’re keen to dig deeper into this style of growing food and regenerating soil, check out PermaDynamics' own videos available on their Patreon page.
Get access to all 10 full-length interviews: happenfilms.com/patreon
Join the PermaDynamics membership community: permadynamics.co.nz/membership
The full interview with Klaus Lotz: happenfilms.com/film/klaus-lotz-syntropic-farming
** Find out more about PermaDynamics at these links **
Website: permadynamics.co.nz
Instagram: instagram.com/permadynamics
Facebook: facebook.com/PermaDynamics.nz
** Find out more about Happen Films **
If you’re interested in supporting us to make more films, find us on Patreon: happenfilms.com/patreon
For more info about Happen Films, check out our website: https://happenfilms.com. We make short films and feature films, all with a permaculture, resilience, sustainability focus. Don’t forget to subscribe here on YouTube!
Find us on social media
Instagram: instagram.com/happenfilms
Facebook: facebook.com/happenfilms
Twitter: twitter.com/happenfilms
** Film credits **
Directed and written by Jordan Osmond & Antoinette Wilson
Produced by Antoinette Wilson
Cinematography and editing by Jordan Osmond
Story feedback and suggestions from Nick Tucker
Additional drone footage by Byron Birss (instagram.com/byron.in.new.zealand)
1990 photo by Malcolm Rands
** Thanks! **
To our wonderful supporters on Patreon, who helped make this film happen:
Kimberly Levesque, Matthew Zimmer, Rahul Banerjee, Jonathan Wise, Georjette Mercer, Mary Conlan, Kate Hall, V.J. Raghavan, Pierre Blom, Cicely Jette Stewart, Brett Davidson, Tony Schaufelberger, Namaste Foundation, Sankar Madhavan, Sue Campbell, Melissa Tripodi, Filip Zeman, Greg and Rachel Hart, Brian Newton, Susan Hunsberger, Kirti Patel, Kelly Milikins, Nathan Kitchen, Geoffrey Torkington, Alex Muir, Tiitus Laine, Rex and Jo, Jess O’Shea, Moana Kiff, William B. Everett, Ron Hastie, David, Lauren, Carolyn Gillum.
** Subtitles and closed captions **
In the past, many people have generously taken time to translate our films here on YouTube. The Community Contributions function no longer exits, but if you’d like to contribute a translation please contact us. Making the film available in your language and to your community would mean the world to us!
Chapters
00:00 - Intro to Syntropic Farming
2:36 - 17-Year-Old Food Forest
7:48 - Market Garden and Orchard
12:20 - Native and Exotic Plants
14:45 - Annuals in the Food Forest
17:29 - Tropical Hothouse
19:17 - 3-Month-Old Food Forest
