Mission and Vision
Biodynamic practices have long been considered the gold standard in regenerative agriculture, and – as the oldest methodology-based certifier worldwide – the Demeter® brand and Biodynamic practices continue to be at the frontline of developing solutions to agriculture and global issues associated with climate change and the degradation of soil, water, and the environment.
Initiated in the early 1920’s by Rudolf Steiner, biodynamic agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that views the farm or ranch as a self-sufficient, integrated whole: a living organism. To create a farm as such a closed-loop system, solutions for that farm’s vitality – fertility, soil health, disease, and pest control – must arise from the farm itself, thus increasing biodiversity, enriching the soil, and enhancing ecosystem services, all while capturing atmospheric carbon in soil and above-ground biomass. The Alliance represents 44,000 acres of Biodynamic® certified producers, 98 certified Biodynamic® businesses (non-farming), and an expanded network of nearly 200,000 individuals with collaborative ties to more than 30 regional organizations.
“There is practically no field of human endeavor that does not relate to agriculture in some way. Seen from whatever perspective you choose, agriculture touches on every single aspect of human life, as you will see from the course itself. ….Knowing these things brings agriculture into intimate relationship with society in an objective way. And this is what is so important, that agriculture be related to the whole of social life.”
Rudolf Steiner, 1924