2 of 12 benefits of biodynamic farming

Feb 1, 2024

The following is the 2nd of 12 articles published every month in 2024 by Biodynamic Federation Demeter on the various benefits of biodynamic farming and look at how it can a climate solution.

We tend to look at the beings of nature – the minerals, plants, and animals (…) – as if they stood there in isolation. We’re in the habit of looking at a plant all by itself; then we go on to look at a plant species all by itself, and then at another species next to it. Everything we’re supposed to know about these things is neatly pigeonholed into separate species and genera. But that is not how things are in nature. In nature, and actually throughout the universe, everything is in mutual interaction with everything else.

Rudolf Steiner, Agriculture Course 1924 (Lecture Seven)

The farm as a living organism

Just as everything works together in nature as one organism biodynamic farming considers the farm as a living organism composed of different parts and systems (various soil types, animals, trees, etc.). All these elements are integral parts of the farm and must be managed together to ensure the well-being of the whole. This is also why it is not possible to convert only part of a farm to Demeter standards, but only the whole farm can be converted.

Holistic approach

In times where farming and nature conservation are often opposed, biodynamic farming shows the opposite. By working with a holistic approach biodynamic farming cares for nature, integrating the natural elements in the farm organism ensures that nature is supported, preserved and nurtured, which in turn benefits the cultivated elements of the farm.