Food is the most important key to health yet much of what people eat these days is not worthy of such a label. This is partly because of the high concentration of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and other toxic substances used in the growing and processing of what we eat. Biodynamic growing is a way to address this insanity, take into account a broader context and produce food that nourishes instead of poisoning the consumer.

Growing healthy food with Biodynamic growing

In this Episode of ‘Living outside the Matrix,” Nigel Howitt finds out about Biodynamic growing from Alysoun Bolger from the Biodynamics Association in the UK. Alysoun shares the principles and many of the biodynamic practices and gives us an insightful look into a way of managing our farms that best serves the end user as well as taking care of the soil, the animals, the wildlife and the environment.

In its broadest sense Biodynamic means a set of guidelines for more conscious farming. It began with the writings of Rudolf Steiner back in the early part of last century, well before the advent of such insane practices as the routine use of antibiotics in animal husbandry. Yet it is even more relevant today than it was back then. following its guidelines prevents the destruction of the soil structure and the microbial life support mechanism of the bacteria within it.

The most rigorous standards for growing food

Biodynamic is possibly the most stringent of the various methods of farming practices. It predates the ‘Organic’ standard and has been referred to as `organic plus’. Yet in principle, it is entirely practical and demonstrates a degree of flexibility within the general principled framework. One of the key areas in which it differs from conventional mainstream agriculture is that it takes into account the quality of the end product and its health supporting effects on the human consumer.

Back in Episode 41, we discovered from Dr William Davis how the development of modern strains of wheat has done much for increasing pest resistance for the convenience of the farmer, yet at the expense of the consumer in the form of a less wholesome end product. Lectins are substances produced by plants as defences against any pests eating them and so are desirable to breed into new strains of wheat, but they are a problem for human consumption as well as pest consumption. This is a typical case where the context of one activity is not integrated into the big picture and problems for human health are the result. The gut destroying use of Glyphosate in food growing is another such example and you will be unsurprised to learn that Biodynamic certification does not support its use.

Modelled on the success of natural systems

Another Key Biodynamic principle is the modelling of agricultural systems on successful natural systems that use diversity and many complex inter-relations between species and microbes to ensure the well being of all components. But perhaps the wisest and broadest principle employed in the Biodynamic method is taking into account context. Context is everything. All knowledge exists only within a context and we drop context to our bitter cost – as in the examples given above.

Personally, I don’t blame farmers for the production of toxic food. I think we all must bear the responsibility of educating ourselves in how to achieve and maintain health. This is a subject we are not taught and few seem particularly interested in. This is odd considering how important good health is for the enjoyment of a life on Earth. As we become more educated in this respect we will naturally demand food of a higher quality and the food producers who wish to stay in business will then provide quality food.