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THEBIODYNAMICMETHODHaritaandSanjayDoctorMIKROFIELDSRESEARCHUNIT,131,SilverBeach,SuryavanshiHall,OffV.SavarkarMarg,MUMBAI400028.

Website:http://sites.google.com/site/mikrofields/A.TheBirthOfBiodynamicAgricultureInEurope.Intheearly19thcentury,therewasanincreasingawarenessofdecreasingfood vitality.Itwasa

timeofrevolutionarychanges.WorldWarI,theinventionoftheSteamEngineandtheRailroadshad

alteredtheculturalethosofEuropa(thespiritualethosofEuropeintheearly19thcentury).

HorsecentredAgriculture

AgriculturewasdependentontheHorse,unlikeIndiathatwascentredaroundtheCow.Thehorse

providedmanure,ploughedthefieldsandprovidedtransport.Therewasa synergybetweenMan

andAnimal,interconnectedinaselfsustainingcycle.Peopleleda

simple sustainable life, reared animals and shared a deep

relationshipwiththem.Theyleadaharmoniouscollectivelifebased

on spirituality, faith and religion. The tractor made the horse

redundant. Factories that made dynamite for the war, nowproduced nitrogen based chemical fertiliser. Horse and animal

manure use was reduced.With the artificial use of fertilisers, the

naturalnutrientsofthetopsoilwereconsumedandeventually,the

vitalityofthecropdiminished.SensitivefarmersponderedHowdo

werestorevitalityofthefoodwegrow?

DrRudolfSteiner

In1924,DrSteineroutlinedthecoreprinciplesoftheBiodynamicMethodforEarthsregeneration:

1. ThemeetingofScience&SpiritualityinAgriculture

2. Regenerationofnaturalresources

3. Increaseinthevitalityoffood

B.TheTrinityoftheBiodynamicTechnique

The core principleof the Biodynamic agriculture is

that,plantlifeisinfluencedbythestars,planetsand

heavenlybodiesandtheirrhythms,forittodevelop

its physical and etheric body.Understanding these

cosmicforcesanditspositiveandnegativeeffectson

plant life, the farmer can maintain the natural

balanceofthefarm.The3foldmethodisbasedon(i)

Humus, (ii) Cosmic influences on plants and (iii)

Biodynamicpreparations

HUMUS

Healthy and alive soil is the mother ofa good organic farm. It

sustainsandnurturesthelifecycleofafarm.Awellbalancedsoil

musthaveanadequateamountofHumusinit.Itisthemixtureof

soil,mineralsandorganicmatterwhich sustains livingbacteria.

Thisinturnincreasestheintrasoilairspacesforsoiltoholdwater

andvital minerals forplantnutrition.Chemical fertilisercannot

replaceHumus.Thenaturaldigestionandbreakdownprocesses

mustbeallowed totakeplace inNature.The farmershouldproducehis ownmanureandhumus

throughtheprocessofcompostingtheorganicmaterialavailableonthefarm.Thefarmhasitsown

naturallifecycle.Thevariousactorsarealllockedintothisclosedcycle;man,animals,birds,plants,

livingbacterial,andmicroorganisms.Thefarmerbringstogetheralltheseelementswithaninnerawakeningofhisspiritualselfandenlivensalltheactors.

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Acowcentredfarmingtechniquefulfilsall thatisrequiredfromthe farm:food,fodder,fibre,seed

andFuel.Globalisation'snewagriculturalpolicyisalteringthisclosedcycle;provideforallinputs

fromthefarmitself.Seed,fertiliser,fodder,fuelandwaterarerequiredtobebroughtfromoutside

thefarmandinsteadofabarterexchangeeconomy,thefarmermustnowgeneratemoneytopay

forthese.Thecropwastraditionallyproducednotonlyforfoodbutforfodder,manure,,fibreand

fuelandseedwhichensuredtheintergenerationallifeofthegeneticresourcebank.

Modernagriculturescientistsconsidertheviabilityofthecroponlyforfoodoutput(theeconomic

index).Therefore theyreplacedthe traditional seedswithmodifiedHYV (highyielding variety). It

increasedtheedibleportionoftheplantandreducedthepartswhichprovidedfor fibre,fodderand

fuel.Theseedsproducedagainwerenotreproducibleandsoeveryyearthefarmermustbuynew

seed.Thereplacementoftheseedbroketheclosedlifecycleofthefarmits interconnections.

Toarrestthisbreakdown,Dr.RudolfSteineradvocatedthatallrequirementsofthefarmmustbe

producedbythefarmeronthefarmitself.

1. Enrichedcompostfromrichorganicmatter

2. Biodynamicpreparationstobringcosmicforcesintoplants

3. Diversifiedlivestockforabalancedmanuremix.

CosmicinfluencesonPlantlife

Planetaryinfluencesstreamfromthemacrocosmontoearth,themicrocosm.Planetsneartoearth

arecarriersofcalciumforcesandplanetsfurtherawayfromeartharecarriersofsilicaforces.

1. CalciumForces:Moon,MercuryandVenus

2. SilicaForces: Mars,JupiterandSaturn

Based on astronomical and not astrological

data, every year the biodynamic agriculture

planting calendar is prepared to direct the

farmerastothetimeanddateofthedifferent

planetaryeventssothathemayplantoenhance

thebeneficialandnegatetheharmful.

Biodynamicplantpreparations

TheharmonyofthecalciumandsilicaforcesisunderstressfromMansneedtoextractaharvestin

excessofthenaturalcapacityoftheland.Torestorethebalanceoftheland,preparationsmadein

the biodynamic method prescribes byDr. Steiner restores the balance by driving in the cosmic

forces.

1. BD500:enhancesthecalciumforcesinfluence

2. BD501:enhancesthesilicaforcesinfluence

3. BD502507:enhanceseffectofdifferentplanets

Thesemedicinesareusedinhomeopathicdosages.BD500andBD501arechurned(vortex)inwater

andsprayedinthefields.BD502507areintroducedintothecompostpileandliquidmanuresinwhichtheinfluencesofthespecificplanetsaredrawnintothecompostandliquidstogiveanoverall

balance of the calcium and silica polarities. This is the essential difference between the organic

compostandBiodynamiccompost.Thesepreparationscanbepreparedbythefarmeronthefarm

itself.

C.TheFarmerasaShaper,notAdapterofGlobalisation

SpiritualityandSciencemeettocreatethemahanadiofBiodynamicMethod.Inthe21stcentury,

the farmer must morph into a new being; who understands science with his mind, awakens

spiritualityinhisheartandworksthelandwithhishands.Dr.SteinercallsthattheEgoofthefarm;

itsAtma.TobeaShaper,notanAdapterofGlobalisation.

For further information contact : BIODYNAMIC ASSOCIATION OF INDIA, BDAI Secretariat, Ichor Estate, Pethuparai,

PerumalmalaiPO,Kodaikanal,TN624104.www.biodynamics.in