Biodynamic agriculture
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Biodynamic agriculture, or biodynamics is an organic farming system (but predates the term). It is based on the anthroposophical teachings of Rudolf Steiner, particularly on the eight lectures given by him in 1924 at Schloss Koberwitz in what was then Silesia, Germany nowadays Poland (close to Wrocław). At the time Steiner believed that the introduction of chemical farming was a major problem. Steiner was convinced that the quality of food in his time was degraded, and he believed the source of the problem were artificial fertilizers and pesticides. However, he did not believe this was only because of the chemical or biological properties relating to the substances involved, but also due to spiritual shortcomings in the whole chemical approach to farming. Steiner considered the world and everything in it as simultaneously spiritual and material in nature, an approach termed monism. He also believed that living matter was different from dead matter, a viewpoint commonly referred to as vitalism.[1]
The term biodynamic was coined by Steiner's adherents. A central aspect of biodynamics is that the farm as a whole is seen as an organism, and therefore should be a closed self-nourishing system.
[edit] History
Agricultural work arising out of the beliefs of Rudolf Steiner is based at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. Not long after Steiner's lectures on agriculture in the 1920's an agricultural research group was formed to test and verify the claims of Steiner and others regarding the nature of life and health of soil, plants and animals. The Demeter International association for the certification of farms and processors that follow the biodynamic method was initiated in 1928. The U.S. Demeter Association was formed in the 1980's and certified its first farm in 1982.
In the U.S., the Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association, Inc. was founded in 1938 as a New York state corporation.
In Australia the first B-D preparations were made by Ernesto Genoni in Melbourne in 1927 and by Bob Williams in Sydney in 1939.
Today biodynamics is practiced in more than 50 countries worldwide.
[edit] Organic fertilizers
Steiner prescribed eight different preparations for fertilizers which were allowed for use in biodynamic agriculture, and gave great details of how these were to be prepared. Inorganic or mineral fertilizers are not allowed, with the exception of quartz in substance 501 (see below). The substances are numbered 500 through 507, where the first two are used for preparing fields whereas the latter six are used for making compost.
[edit] Field preparations
Field preparations, for stimulating humus formation:
- 500: (horn-manure) a humus mixture prepared by filling the horn of a cow with cow manure and burying it in the ground (40-60 cm below the surface) in the autumn. It is left to decompose during the winter and recovered for use the following autumn.
- 501: Crushed powdered quartz prepared by stuffing it into a horn of a cow and buried into the ground in spring and taken out in autumn. It can be mixed with 500 but usually prepared on its own (mixture of 1 tablespoon of quartz powder to 250 litres of water) The mixture is sprayed under very low pressure over the crop during the wet season to prevent fungal diseases. It should be sprayed on an overcast day or early in the morning to prevent burning of the leaves.
Both 500 and 501 are used on fields by stirring the contents of a horn in 40-60 litres of water for an hour and whirling it in different directions every second minute. About 4 horns are used for each hectare of soil.
[edit] Compost preparations
Compost preparations, used for preparing compost, employ herbs which are frequently used in medicinal remedies:
- 502: Yarrow blossoms (Achillea millefolium) are stuffed into urinary bladders from Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), placed in the sun during summer, buried in earth during winter and retrieved in the spring.
- 503: Chamomile blossoms (Matricaria recutita) are stuffed into small intestines from cattle buried in humus-rich earth in the autumn and retrieved in the spring.
- 504: Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) plants in full bloom are stuffed together underground surrounded on all sides by peat for a year.
- 505: Oak bark (Quercus robur) is chopped in small pieces, placed inside the skull of a domesticated animal, surrounded by peat and buried in earth in a place where lots of rain water runs by.
- 506: Dandelion flowers (Taraxacum officinale) is stuffed into the peritoneum of cattle and buried in earth during winter and retrieved in the spring.
- 507: Valerian flowers (Valeriana officinalis) is extracted into water.
- 508: Horsetail (Equisetum)
One to three grams (a teaspoon) of each preparation is added to a dung heap by digging 50 cm deep holes with a distance of 2 meters from each other, except for the 507 preparation, which is stirred into 5 litres of water and sprayed over the entire compost surface. All preparations are thus used in homeopathic quantities, and the only intent is to strengthen the life forces of the farm.
[edit] Dealing with pests and weeds
Biodynamic agriculture sees the basis of pest and disease control arising from a strong healthy balanced farm organism. Where this is not yet achieved it uses techniques reminiscent of fertilization for pest control and weed control. Most of these techniques include using the ashes of a pest or weed that has been trapped or picked from the fields and ceremonially burnt. Steiner sees pests and weeds as a result of imbalance between life forces emanated from the earth.
Since Steiner viewed the full moon, Venus and Mercury as cosmic powers influencing the fertility of plants, the biodynamic techniques for pest control involves blocking the fertility influence from said planets on different pests. Steiner dictates that this is achieved in different ways for pests and weeds:
- Pests such as insects or field mice (Apodemus) have more complex processes associated with them, depending on what pest is to be targeted. For example field mice are to be countered by deploying ashes prepared from field mice skin when Venus is in the Scorpius constellation.
- Weeds are combated (besides the usual mechanical methods) by collecting seeds from the weeds and burning them above a wooden flame. The ashes from the seeds are then spread on the fields, which will according to biodynamic philosophy block the influence from the full moon on the particular weed and make it infertile.
[edit] Studies
There have been some attempts to scientifically compare organic and biodynamic farming, and others comparing biodynamic and conventional farming. The differences with organic farming are generally small, those with conventional farming more significant.
An April 16, 1993 a research article in Science magazine compared soil quality and financial performance of biodynamic and conventional farms in New Zealand. The article reported that, "The Biodynamic farms proved in most enterprises to have soils of higher biological and physical quality: significantly greater in organic matter, content and microbial activity, more earthworms, better soil structure, lower bulk density, easier penetrability, and thicker topsoil."[2] The study compared biodynamic farms with adjacent conventional farms, but didn't attempt to compare farms of similar size, or with similar crops.
[edit] Skeptical view
Opponents of biodynamic agriculture argue that similar or equal results can be obtained using standard organic farming principles and that the biodynamic preparations more resemble alchemy or magic akin to geomancy.[3]
[edit] Certifying organizations
The largest certification organisation for biodynamic farms is Demeter International and its national member organisations. In France Biodivin certifies Biodynamic wine.
[edit] New approaches using biodynamic principles
- Further information: Non-certified biodynamic approaches
There are other approaches to biodynamics, some of which are not certified by Demeter, that employ some unique agricultural techniques, including those of Hugh Lovel, Greg Willis and Glen Atkinson. These are not universally accepted within the biodynamic movement.
[edit] Difference between Organic and Biodynamic
Any biodynamic produce is also organic. A biodynamic farm works exactly the same as an organic farm in using no pesticides, herbicides etc; but there are various agricultural methods which are unique to biodynamic farming. A list of differences is given below:
- Biodynamic agriculture uses Field Preparations (see above)
- Biodynamic agriculture uses Compost Preparations (see above)
- Biodynamic produce is certified by Demeter, but can be certified by an organic certifying body as well.
- Biodynamic agriculture uses an astrological calender to determine times of planting and harvesting [4]
- The biodynamic farm as a whole is viewed as an organism
[edit] Notes
- ^ Steiner, Rudolf: Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture: A Course of Lectures. , Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association, 1993, Kimberton, PA. 310 p, ISBN 0-938250-37-X
- ^ J.P. Reganold, A.S. Palmer, J.C. Lockhart and A.N. Macgregor (1994). "Soil quality and financial performance of biodynamic and conventional farms in New Zealand.". Science 6 (2).
- ^ [http://www.nitrogen.de/bub/faz.htm /Article from the German newspaper F.A.Z.}
- ^ http://www.biodynamic.org.uk/FAQ.htm#calendar, biodynamic.org.uk
[edit] References
- "Soil Fertility, Renewal and Preservation", Anthroposophic Press, NY, 1938, p. 150
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The Agriculture Course by Steiner with commentary by Glen Atkinson
- Information about Biodynamic Farming
- The Biodynamic Agricultural Association (UK)
- Biodynamic Agriculture Australia
- The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association (BDA) Home Page
- Demeter International Biodynamic food certification
- Biodynamics - The Once and Future Organics
- Aracaria - experimental biodynamic farm in Australia
- Comparative study of biodynamic and conventional farms in New Zealand
- Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics (USA)
- Biodynamics Now (BDNOW) Discussion List
