Source: Kirchmann, Holger. 1994. Biological dynamic farming--an occult form of alternative agriculture? J. Agric. Environ. Ethics. 7(2):173-187.

Biological dynamic (biodynamic) agriculture may be an alternative to conventional farming in some systems. Alternative farming systems are being examined because conventional practices must be changed for agriculture to become more sustainable. One such alternative is biodynamic farming. Biodynamic farming is the offshoot of a larger philosophy called anthroposophy. Biodynamics and anthroposophy enlist the spiritual powers of the cosmos to affect and guide mankind on earth. When Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy, gave a series of lectures on biodynamic farming in 1924, he probably didn't know that he was founding the first form of alternative agriculture in Europe. Steiner's ideas grew from his feeling that food, even then, was not fit for human consumption and was not being grown in harmony with the forces of the earth and the universe. Holger Kirchmann, the author of this 1994 paper, seeks to give an analysis of biodynamic agriculture and determine if the ideas put forth are scientifically viable. There are eight "compounds" at the center of biodynamic agriculture; two field compounds (humus and silica) and six compost compounds (yarrow flowers, chamomile flowers, stinging nettle plants, shredded oak bark, dandelion flowers, and valerian flowers). These compounds have varied uses in biodynamic agriculture. For example, the function of the silica is to "mediate cosmic activities connected with light and heat" while the combination of yarrow, chamomile, and stinging nettle in a compost pile facilitate conversion processes of potassium, calcium, and nitrogen. When the methods of biodynamic agriculture are tested scientifically, the results are unconvincing. Most tests that have been done have proved that biodynamic agriculture is not consistent with scientific fact. In general, using scientific testing for this type of agriculture isn't entirely valid because it is not a science but more of a religion. Many things about biodynamic agriculture cannot be tested because Steiner did not lay out specific directions that are testable (i.e., it is hard to prove that you have harnessed the powers of the universe). The author concludes that it is not possible to develop biodynamic agriculture on a scientific basis.

Abstract author: Emily A. Eisman, 10 November 2000.

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