The purpose of the Biodynamic Land Trust is to secure land for biodynamic food growing.
What is Biodynamic Agriculture and Horticulture?
Biodynamics is a holistic, sustainable form of organic farming which:
- seeks to maximise the health and well-being of soil, animals, food and people;
- sees the farm as a self-maintaining flourishing ecosystem composed of many elements; and
- recognises the effects of lunar and planetary cycles.
preparations
Special manure and herb-based preparations are applied to the fields and compost. This to enhance and stimulate the microbiological life in the soil and improve fertility. These have been shown to significantly improve the health and well-being of soil, plants and animals. In addition, they enhance the vitality, flavour and keeping qualities of the produce for the benefit of the consumer. The soil also stores more carbon than conventional farming methods. Biodynamics is therefore a sound basis for sustainable food production which cares for the planet.
lunar and planetary influences
Biodynamic farmers and growers recognize that the life of a farm is open to wider influences. The more subtle rhythms associated with the sun, moon and planets form the basis of an annual planting calendar. This guides growers towards appropriate times for cultivation and sowing for optimal quantity and quality. As a result, a rich and diverse farm evolves, built on sound organic principles, embedded and sensitized to its surroundings. It produces food with such an individual quality that, as with wine, it can be described as having the ‘terroir’ of the farm – the sense of the place where it was grown.
dynamic
Profound social change is being triggered by new approaches to biodynamic, organic, and sustainable and community-supported forms of farming practice. Biodynamics calls for new thinking in every aspect of the food system. This ranges from land ownership and farm financing, to food production, distribution and preparation. It also incorporates an understanding of “dynamic” forces in nature not yet fully understood by science. By working creatively with these subtle energies, farmers and growers are able to significantly enhance the health of their farms and the quality and flavour of food.
rudolf steiner
In the early 1920s, farmers, concerned about the declining health of soils, plants and animals, sought the advice of Rudolf Steiner. The founder of anthroposophy, he had spent his life researching the subtle forces within nature. Rudolf Steiner held a series of lectures and conversations at Koberwitz, Germany, in June 1924. The fundamental principles of biodynamic farming and gardening emerged from here. The biodynamic approach has been under development around the world ever since. In the UK, the Biodynamic Association leads this work and the Biodynamic Association (formerly the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association) in the USA.
