Holy Basil – Tulsi

Bio-dynamic farming is a form of organic farming that originates from the teachings of Dr. Rudolf Steiner, founder of the Waldorf education system and leader of the anthroposophical movement. Demeter is the world’s only internationally recognized brand which certify products produced following bio-dynamic farming practices.

Bio-dynamic farming ensures the health of both local and global ecosystems. Independent research conducted over 20 years has shown that bio-dynamic practices continuously increase the fertile humus layer of the soil, important for ecosystems long-term health. Likewise, humus acts as a carbon sink, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide found in our atmosphere, thus helping counteract the greenhouse effect.

Bio-dynamic farming produces healthy and tasty products. Long-term soil fertility is enhanced through the bio-dynamics preparations made from manure, medicinal plants and minerals. Bio-dynamic agriculture aims to nourish the human being by providing foods for a balanced physical, emotional and spiritual life.

The history of bio-dynamic farming

Dr. Rudolf Steiner

The bio-dynamic farming method was developed based on a series of lectures, known as the “Agriculture Course,” given by Dr. Rudolf Steiner in 1924.

According to Dr. Steiner, the starting point of bio-dynamic agriculture is the anthroposophical understanding of nature and man. The bio-dynamic approach considers a farm as an independent living entity, as a “farm organism” able to produce and re-produce the necessary ingredients to its sustenance. At the same time the farm is seen as an integrated part of the world and the universe. A number of exchanges take place between the farm and the environment. The farm, including the people living on it, it is seen as a microcosm in harmony with the macrocosm (the universe)

The themes of coexistence of Earth and the cosmos, and the planetary effects on the earth and its inhabitants, are central to bio-dynamic practices. These relationships are supported by the application of bio-dynamic preparations that stimulate harmonizing life processes.

Since Dr. Steiner’s lectures in 1924, bio-dynamic farming has spread around the world as the agricultural arm of the renowned anthroposophical philosophy. Anthroposophy (translated “knowledge of the nature of man”) seeks to understand and recognize the multi-dimensional nature of the world and its people, offering a more holistic view than dominant materialist philosophies.

The brand for bio-dynamic products was founded in 1929. Today, Demeter controls and certify the production of agricultural products worldwide.