The Social Guilds

I have been participating for a few weeks in a Permaculture Design Course, known as PDC for its acronym in English, taught by Elyes Mkacher through the Design School for Regenerating Earth. The truth is that I considered myself a close collaborator to nature, but with everything I’m discovering, I realize that I still have a lot to learn and contemplate.

In this course, before getting into the design itself, we go through different fundamental areas: water, soil, climate, among others. Now we are working with plants, and at this point fascinating concepts have emerged such as food forests and one that I knew very superficially but that has completely captivated me: guilds.

Guilds refer to the association of plants, animals and other elements that interact synergistically within a sustainable design. It is a term that in Spanish does not have an exact equivalent, since it comes from the English guild and could be understood as a “guild” of nature (an ensemble that shares commonalities and purpose.)

The main idea is to provide all the resources needed by a tree, a fruit tree, , by creating a balanced ecosystem around it. In this system, the following are planted:

• Nitrogen fixers: plants that enrich the soil with this essential nutrient.
• Pollinator attractors: flowers that invite bees and other key pollinators.