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Feb - Mar 2008
Saving the World with Biodynamic Farming by PETER PROCTOR by KITTY BROEDER by MARLYNA LOS Regular Columns: Horoscopes for February & March by Laura with Judy LeBeau Croft's Healthy Living Column by Croft Woodruff Inspirations - Magic Doorways by Devrah Laval Marketing for Healing Professionals by Juliet Austin, MA, Marketing Coach Advertorials:
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Saving the World with Biodynamic FarmingOne farmer, one cow, one planet by PETER PROCTOR
What if the world were an apple? One quarter of the apple is land and the rest is water. Cut the land in half and put aside that which is deserts and mountains. Quarter what is left and the peel of one of those quarters represents the topsoil that must feed the whole world. This analogy illustrates how important it is to get the best out of the available soil to provide abundant and nutritious food for everyone on the planet [1]. Peter Proctor is a soil scientist who has worked with the stuff for over
sixty years [2]. His favourite invertebrate is the earthworm, which he
describes as “the unpaid servant of soil health” and his favourite animal
is the cow because of all the dung it provides. Dung is something that
Proctor prizes more highly than gold, jewels, fossil fuels, or many other
natural resources. His recommendation for green-fingered gardeners and
for the long term sustainability and security of global agricultural
systems is the same: a complex preparation of medicinal plant material
(see Box) added to compost, manure and slurry. The mineral enriched
compost preparations lessen soil compaction, enhance the quality of
topsoil, increase microbial activity and encourage earthworms. What is biodynamic agriculture? Biodynamic agriculture is an advanced form of organic agriculture with
an emphasis on food quality and soil health [5]; and as such, uses no
synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. ‘Biodynamic’ originates from two
Greek words, bios meaning life, and dynamos meaning energy. The
pioneer of biodynamic agriculture was Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) an
Austrian scientist, philosopher, and educator. He identified the deleterious
effects on the soil and the deterioration of the health and quality of
crops and livestock that farmers experienced following the introduction
of chemical fertilizers at the turn of the twentieth century. In a series
of eight lectures known as the “Agricultural Course” made in 1924 [6]
Steiner taught the fundamental ecological principle that the farm is a
living organism, an individual self-contained entity within a whole
harmonious system. (This is similar to the idea that a sustainable system
is like an organism [7]. In 1928, the first ecological label “Demeter” was
used to certify the high quality nutritional food produced by organic and
biodynamic agriculture. Since then biodynamic farming has developed to
be one of the most sustainable and successful forms of organic agriculture
practiced in forty countries across the world [9]. A biodynamic farm is characterized by self-sufficiency and biological
diversity where crops and livestock are integrated, nutrients are recycled,
and the health of the soil, the crops and animals, and the farmer too, are
maintained holistically. The strength and resistance to disease of the
whole system is crucial, so genetically modified organisms (GMOs),
which originate from forcing bits of DNA including those from viruses
and bacteria into plant cells are excluded altogether. Instead indigenous
seed varieties and breeds best suited to the natural conditions (bedrock,
soil, weather, flora and fauna, insects, birds and human populations) are
developed for the specific locality and further distances too. Biodynamic
Saving the World
with Biodynamic Farming
One farmer, one cow, one planet
What if the world were an apple? One quarter of the apple is land and the rest is water.
Cut the land in half and put aside that which is deserts and mountains. Quarter what is
left and the peel of one of those quarters represents the topsoil that must feed the whole
world. This analogy illustrates how important it is to get the best out of the available
soil to provide abundant and nutritious food for everyone on the planet [1].
by Peter Proctor
6 February/March ‘08 www.thehealingjournal.com
systems weave together natural plant, animal and mineral resources
within environmental limits to enhance the quality of soil and crop
production and bring about ecological balance. Consideration of the
farm as an ecosystem feeds into holistic management practices that
embrace the environmental, social and economic aspects of the farm. Its objectives differ significantly from those of conventional
agriculture, or agribusiness, which maximizes profit with mechanical
and technological inputs for unlimited exploitation of the earth’s
resources. The biodynamic model feeds family and farm workers first,
and then trade surpluses to the local community. A central belief is that
specific natural substances are carriers of forces that create life
(see Box, next page), and that celestial rhythms, primarily the phases of
the moon, directly affect terrestrial life. One main difference between
organic and biodynamic farms is that organic farms often exclude
animals for ethical reasons and monocrop production is common. Why a biodynamic farming revolution? Biodynamic farms have broad ecological implications as a blueprint for
agriculture when fossil fuels are scarce. But they have cultural implications,
too. Today biodynamic and organic farming methods represent a
revolution, one farmer at a time, against the vested interests of agribusiness
disguised as science and the global dominance of corporations
such as Monsanto, ie. a form of non-chemical, non-toxic farming that
does not require the use of any hybrid or GM seeds. The impact of
stopping traditional methods of seed saving and swapping, and
taking farmers to court for patent infringement where they are fined, is
ludicrous. What are biodynamic compost preparations? The methodology of biodynamic compost preparations in a
contemporary setting is not “voodoo doodoo”, or “muck and magic” as
detractors have cursorily labelled it, but instead a scientific combination
of six medicinal plant extracts and two field preparations (see Box, next
page). Dr John Reganold is the Regents Professor of Soil Science at
Washington State University. He says that people may think biodynamic
agriculture is strange because of the preparations, but they are
so different it would be hard for anyone other than Steiner to come up
with them [1]. The biodynamic preparations (BD) consist of recycled
mineral, plant or animal manure extracts that are fermented over time
and added in homeopathic or very dilute quantities, to compost piles,
manure and slurry, which are then applied to the soil or sprayed directly
onto plants. The specific properties of the medicinal compounds such as
calcium (Ca), silica (Si02) and iron (Fe) regulate the decomposing and
humus-forming processes in the soil and provide the rich base needed
for healthy plant growth. Without humus, soil is lifeless and lacks the
three major nutrients, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K)
that plants need to thrive. As P and K are not present in the air, they are
biodynamically “farmed” into the soil by enriching compost with the
BD preparations. Thus nourished soil strengthens plant roots and
generally produces nutrient rich crops not deficient in trace elements
such as selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn). Reganold’s own studies demonstrate
that soils treated with organic or biodynamic compost have a
greater capacity to support soil microorganism activity than soils
managed with mineral fertilizers and pesticides [13]. One study showed
that BD preparations are effective in homeopathic quantities and significantly
affect compost development by raising the temperature slightly
higher to 3.5 degrees over the first eight weeks [14]. Another study that
paired sixteen conventional farms with biodynamic farms found that
biodynamic farms have better soils and are more profitable [15]. |
Biodynamic compost piles are known as “windrows” and can be up to
2ft high and 12 feet long. Windrows are built upon alternating layers of brown organic matter such as dead leaves which provides carbon and
green plant matter that provides N. The BD preparations (see box, next
page) are placed 5-7 feet apart in strategically placed holes at around
20 inches deep in the pile. BD preparation liquid valerian is poured into
one hole and applied all over the outside by spraying, or hand watering.
The windrow is then scattered with a few handfuls of soil, covered
with straw and left to decompose for six months to one year. Organic
residues break down into smaller particles and are then re-synthesised
into complex humic substances. Research shows that low tech methods
of composting are just as effective as mechanized methods at stabilizing
nutrients and humus [16]. Biodynamic preparations threatened in Europe The use of buried animal parts to make BD preparations (see Box, next
page) has always been controversial. Peter Proctor explains that cow
horns retain some of the enzymes from the animal’s digestive system
that act as a catalyst to further aid compost fermentation [1]. However,
biodynamic farmers in Europe are facing a challenge from European
Union Regulation 1774/2002 that prohibits the burial of any parts of
fallen livestock on farms [17], despite no cases of BSE ever being
found on biodynamic, or “Demeter” certified farms anywhere in the
world. In contrast, outbreaks of animal disease such as BSE, Foot and
Mouth and now, Avian Flu and Blue Tongue are ever-present threats in
conventional intensive farming systems. In the largest outbreak was in
the UK in 2001: 594,000 cattle and 3,334 000 sheep were culled in an
outbreak of Foot and Mouth, which cost the taxpayer $8 billion intenationally
and which calls into question the economic and environmental
sustainability of conventional industrial farming.
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There is a DVD by the same title as this article by Peter Prochtor. If a picture is worth a thousand words - then this video is worth millions. Humanity will take a great stride in guaranteeing its survival if we apply the biodynamic principles expressed in this film. In an artistic and engaging fashion - we learn about the application of biodynamic farming in India, and how successful and economical it is when compared to expensive and destructive chemical-dependent farming. This DVD can be ordered through: The Wellspring Bookshop at: