Growing globally

This form of agriculture is an effective means of building up soil fertility and securing food – and not just in Germany. We often have soils that are impoverished and losing fertility. I have heard that in Austria, soy yields on organic soils are now higher than on conventional soils. And in Egypt, the biodynamic cultivation of cotton has generated higher yields. This form of agriculture ensures food security and at the same time independence from expensive fertilisers or pesticides. In India, such dependence led to a high suicide rate among small farmers because they could no longer pay their debts.

Usually people who get involved in a Demeter farm already have experience in organic farming or a certain enthusiasm for it, but this isn’t always the case. The bigger the market becomes and the more market participants that enter it, the less you can rely on people’s idealism as such. We have to take a close look and scrutinise the situation very carefully. The Demeter guideline stipulates that no pesticides or synthetic chemical fertilisers may be used. We carry out inspections partly through organic inspection bodies, but also through our own, and samples are always taken during these inspections.

We are trying to integrate a different approach, a participatory certification process. Here, we focus more on the social and community aspect than on intensive documentation. Standards alone do not guarantee quality. At the same time, I have to make sure that the people who carry out the processes are well trained, and know what they are doing and what to look out for. If we buy cheese that tastes good, it is mainly attributable to the skills of the cheesemaker, and not to the rules followed. And there are many projects, for example through the GLS Treuhand’s Future Foundation for Agriculture that focus on training small-scale farmers to set up a marketing business with a few goats and ensure fertility for their vegetables.

We are fighting to keep the organic regulation strict enough. As it becomes more and more widespread, the industry lobby is trying to allow certain things. We still have big loopholes in the organic regulation. The main problem, for example, is that conversion to organic is never an operational conversion, but an area conversion. This means that a farm can cultivate both organic and conventional land. Often the crop rotations are not controlled at all. And that is the big difference: with Demeter, you have to convert the entire operation and also have differentiated crop rotations, if possible with integrated animal husbandry.

I can use the comparison with the Demeter banana: Most of the time, I only need one banana. If I have a child, one small banana is enough – a Demeter banana is often smaller than a conventional one. When I look at the price of an individual banana, Demeter is even cheaper, but at the same time tastier and more nutritious. This becomes even more obvious with bread: if I eat nutritious bread, two slices are sufficient to satisfy my hunger. The loaf of bread lasts for a week. If I buy a loaf of bread that has fewer nutrients, it might be enough for two evenings only, because it is not nutritious and I need more of it to satisfy my hunger. I know people on a tight budget who eat mainly Demeter food because that is what is important to them. It also depends on how you put together your meal plans.

I experience that in other cultures it is more important to take time for meals. Rhythm is understood as the design of time. And it’s the question of whether we still have this culture where we shape time freely. When we talk about free time, we always have activities in mind, but no rest and no break. Many things are done in parallel instead of consciously taking time for one thing. In Asia, I notice a clear distinction between activities and meditation or other cultural breaks. The issue of celebrations is also much clearer in many cultures than it is here. Celebrations are more and more about consumption, but they should also be a source of tranquillity.