When James Runham revisits some of the food forests he’s planted around Northland, he’s often staggered by the transformation. What was once bare, straggly lawns and paddocks have been turned into jungles – dense, verdant groves of eucalyptus, papaya and inga bean three metres tall. The soil, originally compacted clay, has become rich and crumbly loam, teeming with worms and insects; and the native birds, initially confined to the surrounding scrub, caper and chorus through the emerging canopy.
He finds it hard to believe that some of these forests are less than two years old. So do the property owners.
“They just can’t believe how quickly it’s transformed. The incredible amount of growth that happens in such a short time is usually far beyond what they expected.”
The founder of Simply Syntropics, James is an expert in food forest planting, providing his services across Northland, Auckland, or wherever there’s someone who wants to grow food, create shelter, or restore biodiversity on their property.
He specialises in syntropic agroforestry, an offshoot of permaculture that advocates for planting in a way that mimics the diversity and density of a natural forest. With the various plant species all filling important roles in a symbiotic system, each tree flourishes far more than it would if it were planted alone, exposed and in isolation.
“Every plant produces a different quality for the system, whether it’s pumping sugars into the soil, fixing nitrogen, providing shade and shelter, or providing edible food,” says James. “They’re all playing different roles, and all benefiting in different ways.
“It’s regenerating the land while creating abundant food and shelter for us, and ecosystems for wildlife. It improves the soil quality and improves the liveability of the land.”
For James and other syntropic practitioners, the results are abundantly clear in the growth of their forests and the biodiversity within them. Those new to the concept are embracing it too, and there’s now a burgeoning interest in syntropic food forests from property owners across the country eager to take care of the land and enhance their food security at the same time.
“I think people are hungry to learn this stuff and keen on having regenerative, productive systems that are going to be there for the long term.”
The Origins
Even from a young age, James has had a close relationship with plants and growing. His first job out of high school was in a garden nursery; although he admits it was far too conventional for his liking, it taught him some valuable lessons about plants.
“The one thing that stuck with me is when the owner said that the plants can talk — they’re communicating to you through the way that they’re holding their leaves, or their colour, or how healthy they look. They’re communicating with you what they need.”
Completing a horticultural apprenticeship at the nursery, he soon began working as a head gardener at an eco-retreat in Raglan, and that’s where he discovered permaculture. Deeply aligned with the practices, his work later took him to Golden Bay to learn about earth and alternative building, where he met his partner Leonie.
The two moved back to Northland and built a tiny house while continuing to learn about holistic ways to tend to plants and the land.
However, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, James came across the syntropic agroforestry courses at PermaDynamics, and he knew what he wanted to do with his time.
“The whole idea that you could grow in a way that’s also regenerating the land was just so inspiring.
“There was this voice in my head saying: ‘You need to do this as a job, as a career, and offer this to people.’ The universe was really pushing me in
this direction.”
Purpose into Practice
Moving to a five-acre plot of pasture owned by a good friend near Kerikeri, James had the perfect blank canvas to start applying his syntropic practices before offering them to clients.
With livestock on much of the land, James’ friend fenced off 1.5 acres of growing and living space for the couple to park their tiny home and get planting. A high site with sweeping views, the property was exposed to high, warm winds which quickly dried up soil, stressing plants and limiting much growth of plants in isolation.
However, syntropics soon provided the solution.
“There wasn’t a healthy tree on the land when we moved here, but using syntropics was a huge game changer in that it provided quick shelter. It was breaking up the compacted soil and just creating microclimates in a situation where there’s very little defence from the wind.”
By planting dense groves of fast-growing exotic pioneer species such as acacias, eucalyptus and tithonia, James was able to provide quick shelter and much needed protection for more fragile species. Some of the ailing plants that he first put in, such as citrus, soon started thriving as understorey plants in the middle of pioneer systems.
On his windy hilltop, he’s now successfully growing tamarillos, Rainbow Valley papaya and bananas – all plants that don’t generally like the wind – in amongst more robust species.
For James, the growth and health of these plants as part of a dense forest of different species makes perfect sense.
“Plants thrive in forests. In nature, you never see a productive plant out in the middle of a field of grass and thriving. It’s just not the natural place for them.”
It’s the same with monocrops, he says. It’s abnormal to see hundreds of the same species of plants thriving together in nature. Planting them this way in a commercial setting makes them far more prone to pests and diseases.
Growing a diversity of species makes them more resilient to disruptions, he says. “In a syntropic food forest, even if one crop gets a disease or dies, you’ve got all these others to help back it up.”
First Clients
Having honed his practice at his home, it was time to start applying it on other properties. With Leonie, a graphic designer, building him a website, James had the means to start marketing his services, and soon attracted his first clients – some local friends.
“Rach and Dave – I would refer to as my dream clients: a young family who had just purchased land, aligned with my values, and wanting to start a food forest, but not knowing how.
“It was nice to learn the dynamics of working for a client, asking some deep questions and really customising the system for what they want. It’s about understanding what people are wanting, what they can actually commit to, and how their land can deliver results.”
With a brief to create both a temperate and subtropical forest, James broke ground in 2024, planting 360m² of food forest across two sites. The grass was rotary hoed, the ground was mulched, and the plants – a mixture of productive/edible and support species – put in along 15 metre rows with three metres of space in between.
Located in a sheltered valley, Rach and Dave’s food forests flourished, shooting up at a rate of three metres per year. Less than two years later, they’re already getting an abundant yield: bananas, papayas, chilli, citrus, pepino and much more.
“The sense of resilience that these forests create is extraordinary,” James says. “It’s a way to grow an abundance of food in a short time, without costly inputs.”
While the growth is impressive, James is quick to caution that these forests aren’t “plant and walk away” systems. They require plenty of work, such as regular pruning, and the success of Rach and Dave’s forest is only due to their diligence.
“These systems need to be maintained. And it’s not necessarily easy work, but it’s very satisfying to be out there with a machete and some secateurs – you feel that you’re really benefiting the system. That’s very fulfilling.”
Bringing the Life Back
Food forests are, as the name suggests, a means to grow abundant food crops. In mature forests, the yield of fruit from tropical and temperate trees can be astonishing. While James relishes both the food he gets from his own food forest and that his clients get from theirs, there’s something else that brings him the most fulfilment – bringing back life into a landscape.
“The crop for me is always just a bonus. Bringing in life and being able to do that naturally, organically and quickly is just so rewarding. But you’re also creating shelter, you’re creating shade, you’re creating visual breaks, you’re creating resources like firewood.
“For me, that’s so much more rewarding than any crop I get from these plants.”
Having been on their land for three and a half years, James and Leonie can now feel that shift in regeneration. Their forest is full of lizards, tūī, piwakawaka and pollinators, while the moist, shaded soil underneath the forest understorey is crawling with insect life.
“It’s really beautiful to see that life come back,” he says.
The food yield is still a fantastic reward for his efforts; the family has access to delicious tropical fruit throughout the year, which provides nourishment and a means to trade for other goods.
James says it’s not about self-sufficiency; it’s about putting in as much energy as makes sense for them while playing to their strengths as part of a wider community.
“I have a lot of friends and family that are hard out into fishing and hunting, but not so much veggie growing. So having exchanges like that means you don’t have to be fully self-sufficient on your own.”
For James, syntropic agroforestry ticks all the boxes, providing both nourishment and meaning to himself and others in his community. Yet the most rewarding outcome is revealed when he’s walking through the food forest with his one-year-old daughter, Marlu, awed by the towering greenery all around her.
During those moments, he says, it solidifies his purpose – to create a lifestyle that’s healthy and beneficial for her; something that’s real, that’s of substance and brings real joy into her future.
“Having my daughter and seeing what’s going to be here for her, and wanting to create a positive impact in this world – it’s a huge pull for me to do what I do.
“Living sustainably is no longer enough; we need to start living regeneratively. We are at a tipping point, and we need to choose what we want to create for ourselves and future generations.” ■