Biodynamic research

Rudolf Steiner, whose agricultural lectures in 1924 gave birth to the biodynamic movement was a scientist as well as a philosopher and spiritualist. He emphasized that farmers and gardeners should conduct detailed experiments to test his far-seeing insights for themselves, and established an initial research group, which grew to over 800 members worldwide.

This has resulted in over 90 years of ongoing practical and theoretical research, which continues today. It includes, for example, long term comparisons between biodynamic, organic and conventional farming systems, the efficacy of the biodynamic preparations, research into food quality, as well as developing new sensitive picture forming methods for measuring the inner quality of plants , composts and soils. More recently research has concentrated on biodynamic methods in the production of high quality wines, sustainability, and carbon sequestration.

Resources

For a comprehensive listing of research articles available on line, covering 20 years of research, click here.

For on farm experiments about biodynamic farming principles, practice and results, click here.

BD Research centres

There are several dedicated biodynamic research institutes in various parts of the world. These include:

Institute for Biodynamic Research (IBDF), Germany

Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum (CH), Switzerland

Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBl), Switzerland

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI),USA

Biodynamic Research Institute (SBFI), Sweden

Josephine Porter Institute, USA

A full list can be found at Demeter HQ here.