- Tuesday, 19 November 2024
Biodynamic Agriculture Practices
Dr. Badri Prakash Ojha
According to Markandeya Purana, Brahma, the creator was regarded as the first inventor of Agriculture. According to the Purana, at the beginning of the creation of the earth, the soil yielded almost all types of food grains, vegetables, and fruits. However, as time passed, the soil became less productive. Thereafter, Brahma churned the soil and got various kinds of seeds.
These seeds on their own accord started giving corn, fruits, etc. Later on, Brahma realized that these seeds were also not growing properly. Then he introduced the agricultural system into practice.
Seeing the ability of different classes of people in society, he initiated one class of people to do this profession of agriculture. Since then agriculture depended on human toil.
Root Of Life
Many Sanskrit scholars say Krishi Mulashcha: Jeevanam or Agriculture is the root of life. In eastern philosophy, farming was considered the root of life. It’s also said by Uttam Kheti, Madhyam Vyapar, and Nyuna Jagir, that agriculture is the best profession, business falls in the medium and the last one is the job or employment in other commands.
In Sanskrit, calendar land is not plowed or tilted on the day of the full moon night called Purnima and does the same on the day of the night called Amavasya, because it’s the day of recalling the trees, the dead ancestors. Even in the Sanskrit calendar, the crop is not harvested on certain days.
It’s based on astrological movements of the stars and other celestial bodies. The first harvested crop is dedicated to the god and tested by the senior members of the family to identify whether it’s good for health or not, called Nwagi.
It’s not only practiced in the East but also practice in the Western world.
The Easterners' practice came after Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner coined the term Biodynamic Agriculture practices in 1940. During the 1920s, many farmers raised concerns about the degradation of soil due to the constant use of chemical fertilizers, Steiner started giving a series of lectures on anthropomorphic farming that would eventually come to be known as Biodynamic Farming.
During the lectures, Steiner introduced the farmers to a spiritual philosophy called anthroposophy, or the study of the nature of man.
These lectures are regarded as the first presentation on modern organic agriculture practiced in the west though these techniques have to practice in the east since the Vedic Periods.
Steiner explored the relationship between farmers and land, declaring that humans have a responsibility to take care of their habitat and its natural resources.
Steiner formed a large anthroposophical society and a research group, involving at least eight hundred members from all over the world.
Later on, another group of biodynamic practitioners was formed by German agronomist Erhard Bartsch, to test the effects of biodynamic methods on soil health, plant quality, and animal life.
Biodynamic farming practices include avoiding chemical soil fertilizers to enhance soil fertility, consideration of biological organisms, diverse crop rotation, cover crops, and green animal manures, as well as meeting certain guidelines for perennial and annual planting.
Each biodynamic farm is an integrated, whole, living organism. This organism is made up of many interdependent elements: fields, forests, plants, animals, soils, compost, people, and the spirit of the place.
Natural ecosystems include both plants and animals, which work together to fill complementary roles in the wave of life. Many conventional and organic farms only grow crops or only raise livestock, which may be more efficient by some measures, but creates imbalances such as nutrient deficiency or pollution from excess manure.
Biodynamics Generates On-Farm Fertility
Biodynamic plants are grown in the ground in living soil, which provides a quality of health and nutrition not possible with chemical fertilizers or hydroponic growth. Biodynamic farms aspire to generate their fertility through composting, integrating animals, cover cropping, and crop rotation.
Biodynamic agriculture invites us to develop a conscious and creative conversation with nature. By observing, sensing, and listening to the land, we develop intimate relationships with our unique farm organisms and expand our capacities for perception, reflection, and imagination.
Biodynamic farms and gardens are inspired by the biodiversity of natural ecosystems and the uniqueness of each landscape. Annual and perennial vegetables, herbs, flowers, berries, fruits, nuts, grains, pastures, forage, native plants, and pollinator hedgerows can all contribute to plant diversity, amplifying the health and resilience of the farm organism.
Biodynamics is a conscious, participatory, and responsible way of farming and being in the world, which brings healing to the soil, plants, animals, people, and the planet. Each unique and self-sustaining farm organism contributes generously to the ecological, economic, social, and spiritual vitality of its surrounding community, and the whole living Earth.
Boosting Immunity
Biodynamics focuses on creating conditions for optimal soil, plant, and animal health, providing balanced nutrition and supporting healthy immunity.
While farms incorporate a robust diversity of plants and animals and create a habitat for natural predators, pests and diseases have few places to thrive. When a disease or pest presents itself, it is often pointing to an imbalance in the farm organism and can be seen as nature's way of trying to correct the imbalance. In the case of an outbreak, biological controls can be used, but a biodynamic farmer also tries to discern the underlying imbalance and find ways to adjust management practices to bring the farm organism to greater health.
Biodynamic farmers are motivated by a desire to meet the real needs of people and the Earth, which often extends beyond growing food. Most biodynamic initiatives seek to embody triple bottom line approaches i.e. ecological, social, and economic sustainability, taking inspiration from Steiner’s insights into this sector, as well as agriculture.
Later on in the USA, the modern form of Biodynamic Agriculture was turned into Community Supported Agriculture, and many biodynamic practitioners work in creative partnerships with other farms and with schools, medical and wellness facilities, restaurants, hotels, homes for social therapy, and other organizations.
Biodynamics is both a radical concept of regenerative agriculture and a potent movement for new thinking and practices in all aspects of life connected to food and land.
(The author writes regularly on agriculture)
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