Knowra Biodynamic agriculture Biodynamic agriculture Biodynamic agriculture is a form of organic farming developed from Rudolf Steiner’s 1924 agricultural lectures. It combines composting, crop rotation, and livestock integration with distinctive farm preparations and a holistic view of the farm.
Biodynamic preparations : Substances made from plants, minerals, or animal materials and used in biodynamic farming to treat soil or compost. These numbered preparations are the practice’s defining inputs, applied in small quantities to fields and compost.
Rudolf Steiner : An Austrian philosopher and founder of anthroposophy who delivered the lectures that launched biodynamic agriculture. His 1924 agricultural course supplied the movement’s philosophical framework and practical proposals.
Organic farming : Agriculture that avoids most synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and emphasizes ecological practices. Biodynamic agriculture belongs to the broader organic tradition but adds preparations and spiritual ideas.
Demeter certification : A certification system for agricultural products produced under biodynamic standards. It translates biodynamic principles into auditable rules for farms, processing, and labeling.
Horn manure : A biodynamic preparation made by fermenting cow manure inside a buried cow horn over winter. Preparation 500 is sprayed on soil as a characteristic biodynamic field treatment.
Agriculture Course : A series of eight lectures Rudolf Steiner gave in 1924 on the renewal of agriculture. The course is the foundational text from which biodynamic farming took its name and methods.
Regenerative agriculture : A farming approach focused on rebuilding soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem function. It shares soil-building goals with biodynamics but does not require Steiner’s preparations or worldview.
DOK trial : A long-term Swiss field experiment comparing organic, biodynamic, and conventional farming systems. Its design offers a prominent comparison of biodynamic management with organic and conventional methods.
Horn silica : A biodynamic preparation made by fermenting finely ground quartz in a buried cow horn. Preparation 501 is sprayed on crops, commonly in connection with sunlight and plant growth.
Anthroposophy : A spiritual philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner that seeks knowledge through disciplined inner development. Biodynamic farming’s holistic and spiritual ideas draw on this broader philosophy.
Show all 21