“I Am the Future”
Farmer Ercilia Sahores called out to the 700 farmers and gardeners gathered in the Goetheanum Hall. Traveling here from Mexico, she came from an “earlier” time zone—and she brought “the future.” The agricultural projects Ercilia and three other women reported on will also lead us into the future.
What a grand picture! Just weeks before the celebrations to mark the hundredth anniversary of Rudolf Steiner’s death, Earth-workers gathered together from all across the Earth, for the Earth. The conference poster “Our Earth, Our Future” shone out from the front of the hall. As the murmur died down, a single violin sounded Bach’s Chaconne. The annual conference of the Agricultural Section for the whole Earth and one single musician captivating seven hundred people. The individual and the life of Earth—a recurring theme throughout the opening festivities of the conference.
Homeopathic Agriculture
Eduardo Rincón stood on stage with Ueli Hurter. As the new co-leader of the Agricultural Section, this farmer from Mexico was hosting the Annual Meeting for the first time. Together, they represented the far distances of the world. Farmers and gardeners from 47 countries had traveled to the conference. “It’s about the future, and that’s why it’s an all-female panel,” said Ueli Hurter, presenting the four female speakers, who would talk about three projects from the West, the South, and the East: Mexico, Egypt, and India. What a beautiful picture: Eduardo Rincón and Ueli Hurter on either side of the four from the future.
Ueli Hurter began with a broad arc: “The relationship between human beings and Earth is as old as human history. Modern times have distanced us from the Earth. We see it now from outside, as if it were just a thing. In return, however, we’ve gained individual freedom. And now we’re at a critical point: the Earth is crumbling under our very hands and feet. We’re called upon to reconnect with it; now out of our newborn freedom. It’s a commitment to the whole Earth. And that’s why we’ve invited our sister movements from the family of organic farming to this conference. From single farm conversion, we’re now looking at bigger steps; we’re going to hear about three projects, three programs that work with many farmers to shape the future, day by day. It’s about improving all the many small farms and improving nature.”
Enabling the future means having the courage to take big steps, said Hurter. He mentioned the homeopathic number of agricultural workers who work biodynamically: 0.006 percent. That’s the population of a small town. If 17,000 human beings gathered in the hall, one could say: “If this was all the people working in agriculture, then one person would be working biodynamically. Like a highly diluted preparation applied to the fields: very little and very much at the same time.”
Climate Champions of the World
Thoraya Seada from Sekem, Egypt spoke first. “I’m here as a representative of the ‘Economy of Love.’ I’d like to share our story with you. A story of love for our Earth, for our soils, for our health, and for our community.” She then went on to list what Sekem’s sisterhood of farming is all about: spreading biodynamic agriculture worldwide, imparting practical knowledge and consciousness to farmers, developing incentives for conversion and for the market, and educating consumers. Sekem offers training programs to educate and empower smallholder farmers. “We measure every ton of carbon that is sequestered in the soil and in the trees. By 2024, we’d planted one million trees, produced 26,000 tons of compost. 25,000 hectares of land were converted to biodynamic farming. 5,000 small farms completed the verification process and received their carbon certificates. 130,000 tons of carbon have been removed from the atmosphere. We’re looking ahead to the future. We’re encouraged by the fact that we were awarded the Gulbenkian and Climate Champion prizes last year. We want to support and convert 40,000 small businesses by the end of next year.” The figures both substantiate and justify her words, and they certainly astound. In English, we use the word “convert” to describe the process of changing over a farm to be biodynamic. How apt! One converts to a new faith—this decision to switch from conventional to ecological farming has a similarly profound effect on one’s destiny.
This text is an excerpt from an article published in the (online exclusive) Goetheanum Weekly. You can read the full article on the website. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can get to know the Goetheanum Weekly for 1 CHF./€.
Photo Xue Li