Biodynamic agriculture

In biodynamic agriculture farming, livestock breeding, seed production and landscape maintenance is understood on anthroposophic principles. Products can be sold under the brand name Demeter. It is based on the "Agricultural Course " by Rudolf Steiner, a collection of several lectures that Steiner has held in winter 1924/1925.

• 7.1 Links from the environment of biodynamic farming
• 7.2 research

History

Formation

1924, Steiner decided at the invitation of the Countess Johanna and Karl Graf von Keyserling and at the request of other farmers and landowners to stop an agricultural course which should insert the " humanities Foundations for farming." This course was held at the Good Koberwitz near Wroclaw to Pentecost 1924. Before about 100 participants Steiner gave eight lectures, which was followed in each case a discussion. It issues such as the " coexistence of earth and cosmos " and which were " planetary effects on the Earth and its inhabitants" treated.

In the 1920s, some farmers, landowners and food processors who were close to the Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner had put forward the concern to obtain from him suggestions for a reorientation of agriculture. They found that the foods with which they had to do every day, less tasted good than that which they had enjoyed in childhood. When corn and other crops, a decrease of vitality / quality is noticeable. This feeling of quality deterioration was written at a time when the mineral nitrogen fertilization, long after the publication of the main work Justus Liebig ( " The Organic Chemistry as applied to Agriculture and Physiology", 1840), has just been picked up and slowly developed the mass production of food.

In science and practice were then little ambition to maintain the food quality and the resistance of plants to record against diseases and pests, and so an initially small group of people from anthroposophy hoped new impetus to farming.

Anthroposophy strives to understand the world and the human being as " multi-dimensional beings " and to recognize and claims to be " spiritual perspective " to add to the modern, dominant " materialistic world " by a. It is assumed that each person is able to make their own spiritual experience through meditation and work. The founder of anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner himself tried throughout his life, his spiritual research findings into modern humans accessible and to bring scientific form, in his view.

The idea of ​​" agricultural undertaking ", which is maintained today even outside of biodynamic direction, was developed here. An advanced " species-appropriate " knowledge of the physical substances and their role as the ' carrier of spiritual forces " were mentioned as an important basis. Also at the right ratio between crop production, fruit production and animal husbandry, the importance of the forest and the formation of biotopes information was provided. The species-appropriate feeding of the animals, but also human consumption were subject. Particularly important is the revival of the soil and the promotion and maintenance of a permanent fertility was worked out. These new ideas for manure management and compost production were developed.

Period of National Socialism

The bio- dynamic farming was able to hold a long time and initially escape a ban, which on the one hand by concessions on the part of representatives of the bio-dynamic economy, on the other hand, by the interest of individuals of the Nazi regime was possible in the time of National Socialism. The interest in biodynamic agriculture way closed but throughout the anthroposophy and was limited to the objective of sustainable land design.

Despite the ban of the Anthroposophical Society in November 1935, and the rejection of anthroposophy by the Nazi regime were individual organizations that dealt only with Applied Anthroposophy, remain. For example, the National Association for Biodynamic economy escaped a first ban. Trying ring anthroposophic farmers called in 1936 to attempt to ring for biodynamic farming. Among the concessions to the regime was the less frequent mention of the anthroposophical background. A few years prevented the intercession of Rudolf Hess a complete ban of biodynamic organizations. According to Alwin Seifert, he was the patron of biodynamic farming. Hess also urged comparative tests in order to determine the performance potential of biodynamic agriculture manner. On his initiative, a comparison operation went back through the Agricultural audit office. However, his involvement was controversial in the Nazi leadership and provoked violent opposition. His deputy, Martin Bormann rejected the biodynamic way as well as from Hermann Goering and Reinhard Heydrich. From the turn of 1939/1940 the biodynamic way learned despite rejection of the anthroposophical background temporarily support by Walther Darré, from the organic farming hoping for the conservation of soil fertility. Darré liked the emphasis on the sustainable exploitation of the soil, the production of quality food. He also rejected mineral fertilizers and pesticides. His goal was to develop an organic farming system, a life statutory construction land, which should be well-founded scientific and waives the anthroposophical foundations. Darré, however, had previously been shown in the course of the 1930s no interest in organic farming and came only after his de facto disempowerment as a minister in 1939 in June 1940 for the first time publicly for the biodynamic way a.

Were finally banned the National Association for Biodynamic farming on a course of action against so-called secret teachings and secret sciences in June 1941, also anthroposophical literature was confiscated and individual members of the Reich Association temporarily detained. Heinrich Himmler, who looked skeptical as Darré the chemical-technical intensification of agriculture, also ordered in June 1941 to conduct fertilizer trials with a bio-dynamic variant. The experiments were " German Research Institute for Nutrition and food " performed on agricultural goods of which had been assigned to the SS and founded in 1939. At the Research Institute also included the herbs plantation of Dachau concentration camp.

1945 to today

1946 was re- founded " research ring for biodynamic farming", from which the institution was founded in Darmstadt by Josef Blockhuys, Kurt Eisele, Hans Heinze, Ernst Meyer, Nicolaus Remer, Immanuel Voegele, Kurt Willmann and Brunhild - Erika Windeck 1950 for biologically dynamic research emerged. First steps have been taken to set up the market. In 1954 the trademark rights were transferred to the " Demeter -Bund " and developed and adopted in 1956 guidelines. Until 1988, the Demeter Association was the largest membership of organic farming association.

In the 1990s, the Demeter Association, the products with his trademark decided mainly through retailers, that is to sell more than health food stores. The positioning their products as " premium products " was made ​​manifest when the Demeter Association, along with another farming association ( organic ) from the Association for Organic Farming ( AGÖL ) exited.

Differences between biodynamic and organic agriculture economy

Basis of biodynamic farming is anthroposophy. The farm is viewed as an organism and individuality, which has its own characteristics. Therefore, subject to the use of all raw materials and aids that do not also come from biodynamic farms, strong restrictions.

Organic is to be understood as a claim that as many plant and animal species to live on the farm. The attitude of ruminants, usually cattle is mandatory. The dung of these animals is used as fertilizer. The more diverse and varied produces an operation, the more stable will thus be the environment. The Nature Conservation ( biodiversity, biotopes ) finds this "on the side " application, for example by Planted hedges and field margins are created and will dispense with the use of chemical pesticides.

In contrast to organic farming certain preparations (see below ), where the " cosmic rhythms " of the moon and planets are considered. In crop cultivation measures ( weed control) and sowing / planting and harvesting are tuned to moon phase and planetary positions (if the soil condition permitting ) and makes recommendations for specific day and year given (eg to some applications only early in the morning take place immediately after sunrise).

In the field of plant breeding, the aim is to grow the plant, " according to essence ." That is, for example, be a particularly wheat plant wheat generic and not intended to have impacts of spelled. Therefore, the consistent rejection of the agricultural, the so called Green stirred genetic engineering.

The biodynamic preparations

As specifically biodynamic measures the production and use of certain drugs is common, which are added to either the manure ( manure, liquid manure, slurry ) or stirred in water and then sprayed onto the soil and plants, the effect of the terrestrial growth factors (for example, to improve nutrients) and the cosmic growth factors ( light, heat and "Rhythms " ) and the effects of cultivation measures.

There are different groups of preparations, each designed for specific applications: field or spray preparations ( horn silica and horn manure ) fertilizer Supplements ( yarrow, camomile, nettle, oak bark, dandelion and valerian preparation ), special preparations, such as horsetail cooking and the so-called ash preparations for Beikraut and pest control.

The preparations form a main feature of biodynamic farming. They are therefore an essential tool to generate products in so-called Demeter quality. In the Demeter standards are mandatory. Here, however, not all Demeter farmers follow the same consistently Steiner's ideas - some of them is anthroposophy less. It is also possible for the finished products for sale, rather than prepare self. Addition, the use, both on foot and by hand as well as an automatic dosing device on the tractor - in part anyway necessary during field processing - done.

The preparations should have a balancing effect. Examples which may be in a very good year, income less than comparable income from the organic production method, while revenues will be higher in a difficult year. The aim of the application of the products is thus not the maximization but the stabilize earnings. In biodynamic parlance, the " harmonizing " called.

The anthroposophic pharmacists and singer Hugo heritage developed additional biodynamic preparations, however, are controversial within the biodynamic movement.

Controversy

Research of the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture ( FiBL ) over more than 20 years indicate that the application of biodynamic as well as organic- biological agriculture, the fertility of the soil was significantly higher than in the control group with conventional agriculture. However, revenues fell off also by 20% on average. Among the essential parameters such as biomass of earthworms, number of Beikräuterarten or number of beetle species the biodynamic manicured experimental plots were mostly from the organic- organic and non-organic. This evaluation is as DOK trial (dynamic, organic, conventional) known. Furthermore, it was the Darmstadt Institute for Biodynamic Research, also a anthroposophienahe device, show that the species diversity, the amount of microorganisms and humus content of previously conventionally managed soils after a few years of biodynamic cultivation increases significantly.

In an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Peter loyalty characterizes the ecological- dynamic agriculture as part of an occult movement and its underlying " thinking and practice [ as ] not scientific, but magically".

In a study from 1994 Holger Kirchmann concluded that Steiner's instructions were occult and dogmatic and also unfit to contribute to the development of alternative and sustainable agriculture. Many of Steiner's statements are unprovable because no scientifically clear hypotheses could be derived from their descriptions: so one can hardly prove, for example, that you have " cosmic forces " made ​​usable in foods produced in this way. Kirchmann asserted that a scientific review of the methods of biodynamic agriculture has not led to convincing results.

, 2004, Linda Chalker -Scott, associate professor of horticulture and landscape architecture at Washington State University, in an essay on biodynamic farming out that in many research articles that biodynamic is compared with conventional agriculture, not will distinguish between practices or preparations of biodynamic and organic farming. " Biodynamic " ( bio-dynamic ) should not be used interchangeably with "organic " (ie ecologically within the meaning of organic farming ). Chalker - Scott's conclusion is: " The scientific review of biodynamic preparations is limited. There is no evidence that the addition of these preparations improves plant or soil quality in organic built-up areas. "