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THEBIODYNAMICMETHOD
HaritaandSanjayDoctor
MIKROFIELDSRESEARCHUNIT,131,SilverBeach,SuryavanshiHall,OffV.SavarkarMarg,MUMBAI400028. Website:http://sites.google.com/site/mikrofields/

A.TheBirthOfBiodynamicAgricultureInEurope. In the early 19th century, there was an increasing awareness of decreasing food vitality . It was a timeofrevolutionarychanges.WorldWarI,theinventionoftheSteamEngineandtheRailroadshad alteredtheculturalethosofEuropa(thespiritualethosofEuropeintheearly19thcentury). HorsecentredAgriculture AgriculturewasdependentontheHorse,unlikeIndiathatwascentredaroundtheCow.Thehorse provided manure, ploughed the fields and provided transport. There was a synergy between Man and Animal, interconnected in a selfsustaining cycle. People led a 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, now produced 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 principle of 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 of a good organic farm. It sustainsandnurturesthelifecycleofafarm.Awellbalancedsoil musthaveanadequateamountofHumusinit.Itisthemixtureof soil, minerals and organic matter which sustains living bacteria. Thisinturnincreasestheintrasoilairspacesforsoiltoholdwater and vital minerals for plant nutrition. Chemical fertiliser cannot replace Humus. The natural digestion and breakdown processes must be allowed to take place in Nature. The farmer should produce his own manure and humus throughtheprocessofcompostingtheorganicmaterialavailableonthefarm.Thefarmhasitsown naturallifecycle.Thevariousactorsarealllockedintothisclosedcycle;man,animals,birds,plants, living bacterial, and microorganisms. The farmer brings together all these elements with an inner awakeningofhisspiritualselfandenlivensalltheactors.

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Acowcentredfarmingtechniquefulfilsallthatisrequiredfromthefarm:food,fodder,fibre,seed andFuel.Globalisation'snewagriculturalpolicyisalteringthisclosedcycle;provideforallinputs fromthefarmitself.Seed,fertiliser,fodder,fuelandwaterarerequiredtobebroughtfromoutside thefarmandinsteadofabarterexchangeeconomy,thefarmermustnowgeneratemoneytopay forthese.Thecropwastraditionallyproducednotonlyforfoodbutforfodder,manure,,fibreand fuelandseedwhichensuredtheintergenerationallifeofthegeneticresourcebank. Modern agriculture scientists consider the viability of the crop only for food output (the economic index). Therefore they replaced the traditional seeds with modified HYV (high yielding variety). It increasedtheedibleportionoftheplantandreducedthepartswhichprovidedforfibre,fodderand fuel.Theseedsproducedagainwerenotreproducibleandsoeveryyearthefarmermustbuynew seed.Thereplacementoftheseedbroketheclosedlifecycleofthefarmitsinterconnections. To arrest this breakdown, Dr. Rudolf Steiner advocated that all requirements of the farm must be 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 farmer as to the time and date of the different planetaryeventssothathemayplantoenhance thebeneficialandnegatetheharmful. Biodynamicplantpreparations TheharmonyofthecalciumandsilicaforcesisunderstressfromMansneedtoextractaharvestin excessofthenaturalcapacityoftheland.Torestorethebalanceoftheland,preparationsmadein the biodynamic method prescribes by Dr. Steiner restores the balance by driving in the cosmic forces. 1. BD500:enhancesthecalciumforcesinfluence 2. BD501:enhancesthesilicaforcesinfluence 3. BD502507:enhanceseffectofdifferentplanets Thesemedicinesareusedinhomeopathicdosages.BD500andBD501arechurned(vortex)inwater and sprayed in the fields. BD 502 507 are introduced into the compost pile and liquid manures in whichtheinfluencesofthespecificplanetsaredrawnintothecompostandliquidstogiveanoverall balance of the calcium and silica polarities. This is the essential difference between the organic compostandBiodynamiccompost.Thesepreparationscanbepreparedbythefarmeronthefarm itself. C.TheFarmerasaShaper,notAdapterofGlobalisation Spirituality and Science meet to create the mahanadi of Biodynamic Method. In the 21st century, 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