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.
The Vital Speisehaus organic bakery has extended its premises to 750 square metres. What started as a small bakery catering for the company‘s own needs has grown into an enterprise employing eleven bakers who produce a million items a year of a range of 230 products. Sourdough bread baked in a wood-fired oven is a the latest addition to this range.
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.
Anthroposophy can add perspectives to the findings of the academic sciences, based on an epistemological foundation, artistic approaches, practical application and ethical considerations. Members of the Goetheanum Leadership present examples of this in a video series.
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.
Manfred Klett is a farmer and he sees farming as the art and science of relations. The living relations in agriculture are the key to promoting the living beings intrinsic to them. Farming thus becomes a culture-building impulse.
Children who regularly spend time on a farm with animals have fewer allergies because exposure to diverse stimuli enhances the immune response. Nutrition specialist Jasmin Peschke therefore recommends more contact with nature.
Biodynamic farming is proof that agriculture without pesticides is possible. Intro-duced a hundred years ago, it is by now even applied to demanding cultures such as fruit, cotton, wine, coffee and bananas.
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.
The Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum has set itself the aim for everyone to be able participate in the biodynamic agricultural and food culture and help to develop it. This assumes access to high-quality seed, a sound training and an environment that enables organic agriculture.
In 1924 Rudolf Steiner initiated biodynamic farming with a lecture course in Koberwitz (now: Kobierzyce, Poland). A new German edition of the course is planned for its one hundredth birthday. The Section for Agriculture and the Rudolf Steiner Archives are calling for source materials and photos.
The Limbua Macadamia Group started off as a pioneer in establishing small-scale farming cooperatives. In the video series ‘Living Farms’, Lin Bautze (project leader) and Philipp Wilson (camera) from the Goetheanum‘s Section for Agriculture explain the group‘s biodynamic approach.
There is no such thing yet as an uninterrupted, transparent and sustainable supply chain. By using ‘impacTrace’ to investigate the impact products have on the economy, on culture, society and on the environment, ‘Economy of Love’ establishes their true‘ costs. Helmy Abouleish, one of the standard‘s initiators, is a partner within the World Goetheanum Association.
A new contribution to the video series ‘Living Farms’ illustrates how the Mbagathi Rudolf Steiner School in Kenya combines education with basic food provision for its students. The video was made by Lin Bautze (project manager) and Philipp Wilson (camera) from the Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum.
Even as the coronavirus measures restrict our lives, one place offers some balance: the kitchen. The meaningful activity of cooking, the involvement of children, the diverse sensory experiences, and the tasty dish can give us joie de vivre – and health.
Claudy Jongstra will be at the Goetheanum from 5 to 8 February during the exhibition of her monumental installation ‘Woven Skin’ (2018) made from felted wool. In addition, her triptych ‘Landscape in Pointillism’ (2019) will be exhibited in the foyer of the Goetheanum until the end of May 2020.
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.
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.