One Man, One, Cow, One Planet
It is an overcast Monday, The sky is quite dreary, And there is a chance of precipitation. Although we are on Fall Break I am beginning to explore into the realms of sustainable agriculture. I sat in my bed and watched a fascinating documentary called "One Man, One Cow, One Planet." Centered around the concept of Bio-dynamic farming founded by Rudolph Steiner in 1924, today a revolution is being carried out across the world by among others Peter Proctor. Since 1965, Peter Proctor has been farming using Bio-dynamic practices in his home country of New Zealand. Beginning in 1994, Proctor was asked to come to India to teach farmers methods of Bio-dynamics. In 2007 Peter and his life partner Rachel moved from New Zealand to India (at the age of 80 mind you!), in order to focus completely on educating farmers and revolutionizing the nation. What is Bio-dynamic Agriculture? An explanation is given by BDAI: Deriving from two Greek words, bios meaning life and dynamos meaning energy, Bio-dynamic agriculture recognizes basic principles at work within nature and applies the knowledge of life forces to bring about balance and healing in the soil. In other words, it recognizes the biological values in the soil, as well as, the chemical values - hence, bio-dynamic agriculture. It is a method of farming that aims to treat the farm as a living system which interacts with the environment, to build healthy living soil, and to produce food that nourishes and vitalises and helps to develop humanity. The methods are based on a series of eight lectures given by Dr. Rudolf Steiner,an Austrian philosopher and scientist, in 1924 at the request of German farmers. He showed how the health of soil, plants and animals depends on reconnecting nature with the creative forces of the cosmos. The practical methods he outlined are intended above all, to revitalize the natural forces being depleted through modern agricultural techniques. Bio-dynamic methods produce a living soil with increased biological activity, in alignment with planetary cosmic rhythms, particularly those of the sun, moon and planets in the fixed constellations. Cosmic energies can work strongly through a living soil down into the plant. The coordinated working together of earthly and cosmic energies is what brings about healthy and nutritious plants. Bio-dynamics is a complete holistic outlook on agriculture. 1hour-38 minutes later, I have written down 5 pages of information about how Bio-dynamic farming can save the world. About a revolution that is taking over India and the world, one small farm at a time. An organic revolution that is creating real social change, families are again being united, elders are respected, people are living collectively, problems are being solved together, and organic harmony is created. Ghandi's message, that food sovereignty, the right of all people to define their own food and agriculture, free of international corporate forces is finally beginning to occur. Below are some of the most compelling bits of information that I gathered from the documentary: Currently, Monsanto and Syngenta decide what to grow and when to harvest it in most parts of the world. India once grew 30,000 varieties of rice, now it only grows 15 varieties that are unsustainable and nutrient-deficient. GMO seeds cost more and produce less than organic seeds. Fertilizers and chemical insecticides combat against natural forces, creating an all out war against the environment. The effects of conventional farming equals nutrient-depleted soil, erosion, and water contamination. In 2005, 60% of conventional GMO farmers could not pay back their investments, let alone feed their families. As a result 150,000 farmers suicides have been committed since 1994. These multi-national corporations have built a market by creating a need that did not exist, and then expanded that market until it wraps around an entire nation in dependency. Therefore, world hunger is not caused by food scarcity, its root causes are in industrial agriculture, trade liberalization, genetic engineering, and military dominance. In Bio-dynamics however, the flow of energy is reversed. It is a profound local alternative to the corporate globalization that is incapable of addressing the human need we all share for self-reliance and self-realization. It is the non-violent agriculture that Ghandi promoted! Rudolph Steiner said that we are responsible for our own actions, to end reliance upon agribusiness we must be courageous and stand up for what we know is the right thing to do. Small changes make a big difference--I am the world and you are the world, if we make a change, then the world changes with us. Here is a link to watch this incredibly inspiring and educational documentary about how Bio-dynamic agriculture can save the world, I can tell you that you will not be disappointed with it!