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On a Djinn’s reading list: Barefoot Biodynamics
We are familiar with the concept since A Thousand and One Nights: You free a
Djinn from his/her bottle and are granted a wish as a reward. A German seminar
on biodynamic bee keeping began with this version: as the liberator of the Djinn
was afraid of sea and air travel he asked the Djinn to build him a road bridge to
Australia. Could he possibly think of another wish, the Djinn wondered? Sure,
how about explaining Rudolf Steiner and the concept of biodynamics to him? OK,
replied the Djinn, how many lanes do you want the road bridge to Australia to
have?
If only the Djinn had read ‘Barefoot Biodynamics’ by Jeff Poppen.
The eight lectures Rudolf Steiner gave in 1924 are the foundation of the
principles of biodynamic agriculture. Neither the lectures nor the Q&A sessions
were recorded, so what we have today is based on unrevised notes.
We know how it works…
Jeff Poppen has been farming for half a century. Early in his career he read
Steiner – his Dad had a copy of the translated lectures – and was intrigued: “I’ve
always lived on a farm, so I could tell this guy knew something about farming. But
so much of what he said seemed so far out, I could see why the method wasn’t
more popular”. Seeing the abundance on the biodynamic farms he visited, he
decided to focus on what made immediate sense to him in Steiner’s lectures: the
focus on good soil, the importance of manure and compost, and the realisation
that farm animals, cattle in particular, are essential for a farm to thrive. In Britain,
Sir Albert Howard and Lady Balfour, and in the USA William A Albrecht came to
similar conclusions and today we have a scientific understanding of the principles
these pioneers derived from observation.
Observation, visualisation and understanding
“Steiner sure makes chemistry interesting”, says Poppen, “the basic elements the
farm needs to grow corps and animals (…) come alive with individual
personalities”. Interpreting Steiner, Poppen distinguishes between ‘the girls’ (air
elements, such as nitrogen), and ‘the boys’ (elements found in the soil, such as
silicon). These elements have different needs and functions, they interact with
fungi, microorganisms and with each other, they need warmer or cooler
conditions, some work at night, such as lime, others during the day. “Humus is
the place where the elements from the air (…) meet the boys in the soil”, says
Poppen. And where Steiner talks in mysterious terms such as “the Spiritual itself
as it spreads far and wide”, Poppen explains plant growth, nutrient cycles and a
whole host of contributing factors in an easily understandable way. And building
on Steiner’s notion that elements have personality, Poppen helps us visualize
context and connections which will help practitioners to apply the principles.
Magic potions
“According to Steiner, the greater part of what we eat daily gives the body the
living forces it contains, not the substances”, writes Poppen, who finds the
concept “hard to swallow”. Biodynamic preparations play a major role promoting
life forces, they are for the soil what homeopathy is for humans. The ‘recipes’
Steiner provides for various preparations include cow horns stuffed with manure
and herb filled stag bladders buried in soil, which, after filtration, dilution and
hours’ long vigorous stirring ‘with intent’, have to be applied in accordance with
moon phases and zodiac signs. Does any of that make sense? Not really. Does it
work? It does, says Poppen, and that’s all that matters: “I’ve met some (farmers)
who faithfully plant by the signs but use no preparations. Some farmers measure
every ingredient precisely and stir with reverent intentions, while others just grab
a handful of horn manure and drink a beer while they stir. (…) Some are card
carrying members of the Anthroposophical Society, while others have never read
any of Steiner’s work. I doubt I have ever met two farmers or gardeners who
practice biodynamic farming the same way, and I like that”.
As long as it works….
In the second part of the book, Poppen gives an outline of each of the eight
lectures and introduces us to Steiner’s theories about the universe, cosmic
forces, crystals and starry constellations inherent in seeds. But Steiner gives no
indication on what he bases his theories, which means you either believe them to
be true or you don’t. Poppen finds a third way to deal with this conundrum: to him
it simply don’t matter.
Many of Steiner’s observations are correct and over the last 100 years soil
science has proven why this is the case. In regard to biodynamic preparations we
know that they can be very effective, but it is up to the farmers to experiment,
observe and decide what works and what doesn’t. As for cosmic forces, crystal
structures and the rest Poppen writes: “Although these mind-expanding quotes
made a lasting impression, guiding my conception of the world, I can’t say
they’ve contributed much to my farming”.
No Djinn could put it better than that.
Jeff Poppen
Barefoot Biodynamics
Chelsea Green, 2024
Marianne Landzettel is a journalist writing and blogging about food, farming and agricultural policies in the UK, the US, continental Europe and South Asia. She worked for the BBC World Service and German Public Radio for close to 30 years. Follow her on X at @M_Landzettel and m.landzettel on Instagram
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