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The Systemic Constellations Method Applied to Agriculture
the olive yield. Having two crops raised the productivity of the land, requiring few additional inputs
other than labour, while helping to protect farmers from extreme crop failure (Rosati, 2017).
On a few other occasions, the author has been able to check generic information about ecosystems learned from NCs against independent research, and each time the data matched, as per the
above two case studies.
HUMAN SYSTEMS INTERACTING WITH ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
Farming involves both human and ecological systems and because Constellations always seek the
well-being of the whole, both are taken into account. Organisational Constellations (OC) techniques
can be brought in to support the organisational aspects of agriculture. OC theory holds that the purpose of any endeavour needs to be clear, appropriate and supported, while OC practices have developed so that activities can be planned over time in alignment with a purpose. These OC approaches
were integrated into the series of NCs described below.
Case Study 6: Vineyards Coming into Being
Fenia had a project to develop 10 ha of mainly fallow land on a Greek island. Fruit, olive trees
and aromatic herbs were already growing there, with some processing and selling of the produce.
Tourists were staying in restored buildings on the site, however the total income only covered about
a third of the maintenance costs. While Fenia was considering a range of income-generating options,
she also had a strong desire to listen to the other-than-humans involved in the project.
In 2015, the author worked with Fenia to design a bespoke NCs workshop, both to get clarity
about the next steps, and to co-create with nature. A rep for the 10 ha of land (Land) was set up in
relation to a rep for Fenia’s purpose for the project. Land expressed a strong need to be cultivated,
specifcally she wanted vineyards ‘near the orange groves’. Fenia then revealed that this was exactly
the area where vineyards were possible, and where it was likely that vines had been grown in the
distant past. When a rep for Fenia’s husband came in, it became clear that his priorities were in
confict with Fenia’s stated purpose.
Fenia’s husband had bought the land, so although Fenia was in charge, both were part of the
project. A second NC identifed a new purpose that was both welcomed by Land and supported by
the reps of both Fenia and her husband. This made it possible to run a third NC to assess which of
the proposed activities would best support the fruition of this purpose. To do this, a rep was set up
for the whole project (Project), who described feeling big already ‘but I feel the potential of a bigger
scale’. Reps for various possible next steps were being introduced to identify which of them had a
place, when Project spontaneously stated ‘I want the vineyard’. When a rep for a vineyard (V) was
brought in, Project responded ‘I feel very positive excitement for the vineyard here’. V remained
close to the Project as other future steps were evaluated in relation to the new purpose.
Immediately after the NCs, Fenia described having learned ‘implicit things in this which are
something we couldn’t have presupposed without this work. [One is that] the vineyard will generate
an empowerment that will make other things happen easier’.
Interviewed 2 weeks later, Fenia explained that she had considered a vineyard on the land but
‘personally it was an option that was sounding a bit too much for me… a very ambitious project…
I did have a prejudice against it’. Because of what she had seen and heard, she was no longer so
dismissive of the idea.
Over the next few years, the island unexpectedly developed an extremely good reputation for
wine. Fenia’s husband, who knew nothing about the NC work, proposed that they plant a vineyard
to make wine. It was a long process that involved soil testing and gaining permissions from the
Greek state, as well as EU funding to help build the wine making plant. Fenia – who was happy to
do what she perceived the land itself wanted – was aligned with her husband throughout the process.
The Systemic Constellations Method Applied to Agriculture
the olive yield. Having two crops raised the productivity of the land, requiring few additional inputs
other than labour, while helping to protect farmers from extreme crop failure (Rosati, 2017).
On a few other occasions, the author has been able to check generic information about ecosystems learned from NCs against independent research, and each time the data matched, as per the
above two case studies.
HUMAN SYSTEMS INTERACTING WITH ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
Farming involves both human and ecological systems and because Constellations always seek the
well-being of the whole, both are taken into account. Organisational Constellations (OC) techniques
can be brought in to support the organisational aspects of agriculture. OC theory holds that the purpose of any endeavour needs to be clear, appropriate and supported, while OC practices have developed so that activities can be planned over time in alignment with a purpose. These OC approaches
were integrated into the series of NCs described below.
Case Study 6: Vineyards Coming into Being
Fenia had a project to develop 10 ha of mainly fallow land on a Greek island. Fruit, olive trees
and aromatic herbs were already growing there, with some processing and selling of the produce.
Tourists were staying in restored buildings on the site, however the total income only covered about
a third of the maintenance costs. While Fenia was considering a range of income-generating options,
she also had a strong desire to listen to the other-than-humans involved in the project.
In 2015, the author worked with Fenia to design a bespoke NCs workshop, both to get clarity
about the next steps, and to co-create with nature. A rep for the 10 ha of land (Land) was set up in
relation to a rep for Fenia’s purpose for the project. Land expressed a strong need to be cultivated,
specifcally she wanted vineyards ‘near the orange groves’. Fenia then revealed that this was exactly
the area where vineyards were possible, and where it was likely that vines had been grown in the
distant past. When a rep for Fenia’s husband came in, it became clear that his priorities were in
confict with Fenia’s stated purpose.
Fenia’s husband had bought the land, so although Fenia was in charge, both were part of the
project. A second NC identifed a new purpose that was both welcomed by Land and supported by
the reps of both Fenia and her husband. This made it possible to run a third NC to assess which of
the proposed activities would best support the fruition of this purpose. To do this, a rep was set up
for the whole project (Project), who described feeling big already ‘but I feel the potential of a bigger
scale’. Reps for various possible next steps were being introduced to identify which of them had a
place, when Project spontaneously stated ‘I want the vineyard’. When a rep for a vineyard (V) was
brought in, Project responded ‘I feel very positive excitement for the vineyard here’. V remained
close to the Project as other future steps were evaluated in relation to the new purpose.
Immediately after the NCs, Fenia described having learned ‘implicit things in this which are
something we couldn’t have presupposed without this work. [One is that] the vineyard will generate
an empowerment that will make other things happen easier’.
Interviewed 2 weeks later, Fenia explained that she had considered a vineyard on the land but
‘personally it was an option that was sounding a bit too much for me… a very ambitious project…
I did have a prejudice against it’. Because of what she had seen and heard, she was no longer so
dismissive of the idea.
Over the next few years, the island unexpectedly developed an extremely good reputation for
wine. Fenia’s husband, who knew nothing about the NC work, proposed that they plant a vineyard
to make wine. It was a long process that involved soil testing and gaining permissions from the
Greek state, as well as EU funding to help build the wine making plant. Fenia – who was happy to
do what she perceived the land itself wanted – was aligned with her husband throughout the process.