“The beauty of living side by side with the kingdoms of nature was expressed in the result of the task, perceptible with all the senses”, shared Renata Pinheiro, contributor to Light-Nucleus Sacred Sky.

On July 30th some members of the Sector of Plantations of the Light Community Figueira went to the Light-Nucleus Sacred Sky, in Belo Horizonte (BH), Brazil, for a special reason: to carry out a living experience in order to introduce the Agroforestry System there. The Light-Nucleus is an important "branch" of the Light-Community: a space of service that is linked directly with the Light-Community, both affiliated to the Fraternity - International Humanitarian Federation (FIHF).

Agroforestry is a sustainable system of planting food that regenerates plants and soil, as well as enabling greater harmony between human necessities and natural resources.

Agroforestry is a sustainable system of planting food that regenerates plants and soil, as well as enabling greater harmony between human necessities and natural resources.

One of the basic principles of agroforestry is that all beings are part of an intelligent system. Nature has a purpose, and life tends to organize itself and interact, whereby cooperation prevails over competition.

Agroforestry imitates nature in a form of natural cultivation: the soil always covered with a combination of fruit trees, woody trees and leguminous plants. Annual crops and perennial trees co-exist in this form of cultivation, mutually helping each other.

The Light-Nucleus Sacred Sky in the last months have been resuming their external activities, opened to the public, after the long period of the pandemic.

The activity had a programme that filled the whole day, starting at 8am with an attunement with Nature. Then, the group worked in existing seedbeds planting seedlings, and plotted more seedbeds to compose the agroforestry.

“Starting the experience by feeling the soil was a unique and silent moment, as the perpetual source of donation that comes from the life of the Plant Kingdom," said Renata. 

The attunement had a brief prayer and the reading of an instruction about the value of silence, which helped towards a deeper, authentic connection with nature. Afterwards, the participants made contact with the soil through their hands, in order to feel the energy of the earth in the beat of their hearts.

The collaborators of Light-Community Figueira took the experiences and the knowledge of the principles of agroforestry that are applied in the Light-Community.

The group of the Youth for Peace Campaign of Belo Horizonte also was present in the experience. “For me, the principle of agroforestry that most drew my attention was of cooperation. Nature, the beings and the elements that are part of it are in constant cooperation, in a seach for balance bearing in mind the ‘whole’,” commented Guilherme Gontijo, member of Youth for Peace BH.

The experience continued into the afternoon, with a video about the fundamentals of agroforestry, from the show “For the love of the kingdoms” by Mercy Mary TV. According to Ádria Ferraz, collaborator of the planting sector of the Light-Nucleus Sacred Sky, this was a special moment, since it was this moment that inspired a few collaborators to organize the activity that occurred that day.

“To hear about a culture that favors integration and harmony between plant species was also very nutritious to the conscience.” Shared Renata.

“It’s very good to be able to share what we are learning and also learn with other experiences. It was very enriching and we believe this is one of the missions to accomplish: taking a seed beyond the limits of the Light-Community, that may germinate and give fruit too.” tells Maria do Carmo, that went representing Figueira.

Bringing the schedule to a perfect end, the participants watched together an online transmission of the Youth for Peace festival, the 6th anniversary edition, whose attribute “Work tirelessly for peace” was present during the whole day in the hearts and validated the purpose of the experience: a more peaceful relationship with nature.