Opportunities for a Sustainable Agriculture. ​Research project with short videos on biodynamic agriculture

Goetheanum, Dornach, Switzerland, 6 November 2019

Opportunities for a Sustainable Agriculture
Research project with short videos on biodynamic agriculture

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.

Farming is in a critical situation. The United Nations estimate that fertile soil is only guaranteed for another 60 years. Meanwhile, people in the fields, in shops and in the kitchen are looking for solutions. Biodynamic agriculture is one approach which has a wealth of experience from decades of practice on the ground.

“We want to empower people to act through knowledge”, says Lin Bautze, leader of the Living Farms research project in the Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum. “The organic scene is very committed to the future of the earth and its living organisms.” Building up soil fertility, closed-loop animal husbandry within the farm organism, methods for plant breeding and vegetable growing, networking in the value-added chain, nutrition workshops connected to farms and other ideas have already been put into practice in biodynamic agriculture. But biodynamics is also struggling in the face of climate change and extreme fluctuations in the weather. By compiling examples from practice from different climatic zones, the Section for Agriculture hopes to provide suggestions for a sustainable agriculture. “If we can demonstrate ways that can be successfully applied and are quick to learn, then we have achieved our goal”, says Lin Bautze.

A team from the Section for Agriculture will be tapping into the experiences of up to 20 biodynamic farms for the Living Farms project, which runs until February 2022. The team will carry out semi-structured, in-depth interviews on motivation, strategy and options for action. Personal information will be addressed along with farm size and profitability. The results will be presented in short videos and a book publication. The first farm visited and presented in a short video is the Goetheanum Garden Park.

(2071 characters/SJ; translation by Lynda Hepburn)

Information and videos Living Farms: the potential of biodynamic places to grow beyond global change Website www.livingfarms.net

Point of Contact Lin Bautze, lin.bautze@goetheanum.ch