In his monthly podcast ‘Living Farms’, Eduardo Rincón, co-leader of the Section for Agriculture, talks to international guests, discussing with them existing paradigms and considering new ways of developing farming so that it serves life in all its manifestations.
A synthesis of studies presented in ‘Living Farms’, the magazine published by the Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum, illustrates how biodynamic farming contributes to food quality, animal wellbeing and ecological sustainability.
The spreading of deserts worldwide constitutes a challenge for the earth’s climate and therefore also for plants, animals and humans. Biodynamic initiatives in the Sahara region prove that even deserts can be transformed into living spaces.
Agriculture is under pressure due to climate change, monocultures and soil erosion. Fields are devastated by wars and the earth is poisoned by weapons. Fertile soil is being lost and deserts are spreading. Many farms are struggling to survive. With its action plan for 2025 to 2027, the Goetheanum‘s Section for Agriculture wishes to encourage a sustainable approach to farming.
Farming nurtures human beings. As the world population is growing, the number of people working in agriculture is going down. Biodynamic farming has been trying for a hundred years to offer meaningful and attractive work contexts and to develop solutions for the challenges of our time.
Many people are familiar with Demeter as a brand name but they don’t necessarily know what it stands for. A new magazine – ‘Living Farms’ – published by the Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum illustrates the Demeter principles and how they are applied around the world.
Agriculture nurtures human beings, fosters the earth and creates culture. Rudi Bind and Ueli Hurter explore this theme in their book ‘Biodynamic!’ on the ‘birth of biodynamic farming at the beginning of the ecological movement.’
Cows emit methane, a gas that affects climate. This effect does not have to be harmful. From the point of view of biodynamic agriculture, what cows eat, how they are kept and the facilitating of natural cycles can make them carers of land and climate.
Biodynamic agriculture was initiated a hundred years ago, in 1924, pioneering the eco-movement. Today, its dedication to healthy soil and food also provides impulses for a healthy social life. The method is implemented by both smallholders and large biodynamic enterprises.
The climate question is keeping governments busy. In their essay ‘Breathing with the Climate Crisis’, Lin Bautze, Ueli Hurter and Johannes Kronenberg show that it is a question that concerns everyone. On the occasion of the UN climate conference COP27 they call for an understanding of the earth as a living organism and partner.
Climate change causes droughts, flooding and crop failures. The Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum sees a possible option for action in the idea of Rudolf Steiner‘s biodynamic farm organism. One feature of this is starting from the individual conditions of a region.
Biodynamic farming produces food of high nutritional quality. Studies prove this to be measurable beyond subjective factors such as taste. The Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum will discuss biodynamic food quality at its online conference.
Biodynamic agriculture has listened to the climate concerns of the young people and the young people trust that they are being heard. Both will pool their strengths and experiences for the digital conference ‘Breathing With the Climate Crisis’.
In order to guarantee humanity‘s food supply we need plans for dealing with climate change, promoting biodiversity and improving soil fertility. Biodynamic agriculture works from multiple perspectives on a sustainable resilience by including the living world and the co-creating human being.
Farmers are under pressure: climate change with uncertain harvests, bureaucracy with time-consuming administration and a precarious financial situation lead to questions of meaning and survival. Biodynamic agriculture provides an approach to living with nature through a purpose and joy in work.
A new youth movement has emerged out of concern for the earth as a living habitat. From 30 January to 2 February 2020, young people will gather at the Goetheanum to discuss ways out of the social and climate crises facing us.
Loss of soil and biodiversity, pollution of water resources and challenges from climate change cast doubt on the agricultural practices currently in use. The Living Farms research project presents biodynamic places that are in search of alternatives, starting with the Garden Park at the Goetheanum.
Our spending habits determine how the world looks, because the purchase of a product supports the conditions under which it is produced. Environmentally- and climate-friendly production results in food that tastes good: flavour, health and protecting the environment are all linked.
Biodynamic agriculture produces high quality food and aims to contribute to the further development of agriculture. The brochure ‘Evolving Agriculture and Food’ documents the contributions to the first conference on biodynamic agriculture at the Goetheanum.
