Meeting challenges together

Farming is facing multiple challenges – economic, ecological and social. One approach to meeting them applied in biodynamic farming is to cultivate communities both in the soil and in the operations.

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Eduardo Rincón, co-leader of the Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum is convinced that “We live in a time of fragmentation and wide-spread disillusionment. Working together creates new communities which are urgently needed to meet the challenges of our time.” In fact whether in the field or barn, in establishing local markets, acquiring land and constructing buildings, farmers never work alone. In addition, biodynamic farming strengthens the soil biome and therefore soil fertility, binds in CO2 and protects biodiversity.

In the wider context it provides scope for regional and personal development. All these environmental and social benefits can be measured using the regional value performance calculator. Initial studies such as the ‘1000 Farms Project’ show that ecological farms make a considerable contribution to the common good and that they can be places of social encounter, education and healing.

Pente, a community supported farm in Germany, is a good example. Children and young people get involved here and experience responsibility, the direct consequences of their actions and being part of a community. Tobias Hartkemeyer who co-founded the farm says, “What do we need in life? Places where we experience that we are needed, that things won’t work without us.” Therapeutic education approaches as provided by the Ruskin Mill Trust in Great Britain also use practical activities to promote individual skills and strengthen social integration. Bernie Courts, Ruskin Mill Trust’s head researcher and biodynamics consultant, points out that “We need to experience reliability in our world to be able to take the next steps in personal growth.” Farming communities offer the opportunity to initiate new pedagogical, social and economic impulses and find creative ways towards the future.

The Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum finds these aspects important. Its 2026 Annual Conference – ‘You Never Farm Alone’ – will therefore focus on the social dimension of biodynamic farming.

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