Introduction to our partners
We worked with Querbeet, a Demeter/certified farm in Eichstetten, a small area of southern Germany not far from Freiburg and Emmendingen, our base location. The farm has 18 ha, and it is biodynamic since 1956. The land is divided into 10 ha for vegetables (e.g. tomatoes, zucchini, beans, herbs, carrots), 1 ha for wheat and fruit, and the other 7 ha planted with clover and other legumes in rotation to keep the soil fertile. Moreover, they have a greenhouse where tomatoes, peppers and eggplant (aubergines) are cultivated. Except for the greenhouse, crop rotation is used for all the fields. The farm is almost independent; and, as biodynamic Demeter standards require, it is run in order to complete the natural cycle of nutrients and energy.
Jannis Zentler is the manager of the farm. He rents the land from Regionalwert AG, a shareholder association that encourages small, sustainable organizations in the area. He is helped by 5 to 8 employees, according to seasonal needs. The farm has a wide range of buyers, from a big distributor, Rinklin (about 10%), to direct sales (50%), to small shops, kitchens and processors (about 40%).
We analyzed our partner considering its 3 different dimensions: the material culture, social institution and immaterial culture. Our result was:
I. Material
Plants, seeds, vegetables, water, cow horn, technologies.
II. Social institution
Organizational structure (manager, workers..)
III. Immaterial
-Food is crucial for life -Trust as immaterial Capital -Spiritual aspect of biodynamic
Questions:
We started our research without any knowledge of biodynamic agriculture. Our intention was to learn more about the topic and then present it to the city in order to stimulate people´s awareness.We were wondering what is the meaning of biodynamic farming for Jannis. We also wanted to learn about the specific practices of biodynamic farming.
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Findings
For Jannis, biodynamic farming means healing the soil, while feeling deeply connected to the whole system in its material and immaterial parts. Biodynamic practices help him feel the connection with the land, its plants and the whole system, not only physically but also spiritually.
A common practice is BD 500, also known as the cow horn. It involves filling a cow´s horn with manure and leaving it in the field for several months. Afterwards, the manure, transformed into compost, is stirred in a gigantic pot of water for an hour, and then sprayed on the field. The slow, relaxing process of stirring helps the farmer to feel the connection with the whole system, in an intimate way. The importance of this practice is to give “the information to the soil.” According to Jannis, “it is like homeopathy for the soil.” This practice cannot be scientifically proven to be beneficial; it´s something you have to believe in.
Demeter certification requires doing this procedure at least twice a year, but there are many other preparations or techniques recommended but not mandatory. One of them is planting according to the moon cycle; and although many farmers in the area follow this technique, for Jannis it is not useful and would be too complicated to organize for such a big farm.
At first impression, biodynamic practices might sound hard to believe and a useless waste of time if you look at them from a rational, materialistic point of view. For us, it was really interesting to learn about the topic. We realized that it´s not something you can prove, and it´s a personal choice to believe it or not. But it is clear that the strong connection the farmer feels with the land during this process is extremely important to him and her.
Something that struck us is the enormous knowledge you need as a farmer, such as how to manage the coordination of a huge variety of vegetables and other plants, but also how to administer the business from an economic perspective. It´s incredible how our society doesn´t value farmers more highly for their skills and recognize the enormous contribution they make to the community.
Working at Querbeet was an amazing experience and extremely enriching. We got a better insight into farming techniques, especially into biodynamic agriculture. Most people have very little knowledge of how their food is produced, and we think that everyone should be more engaged in this. Observing the global system, it is more and more clear that we need alternatives to industrial agriculture; and biodynamic farming is one of the ways toward a sustainable future, providing environmental, social and physical safety.
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