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Today’s word is: biodynamic /baɪəʊdaɪˈnæmɪk/
- an agricultural term that refers to a specific methodology of farming which embraces a holistic philosophy and uses the symbiotic relationships between the soil, plants and animals to produce in the most self-sustaining way possible.
The requirements of the biodymanic process are:
- to avoid creating any waste product by composting and utilizing all byproducts of the farming process as manure/soil/fuel;
- to refrain from using any kind of chemicals be they fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, etc (in this way, biodynamic farming is similar to organic farming);
- to create a mini self-sustaining ecosystem tha exists as a whole, almost like a living organism;
- to make use of solar and lunar cycles to manage planting and harvesting at optimal astronomical times; and
- to ensure soil sustainability through crop rotation
The biodynamic movement originated in the 1920s and was made known by a professor and philosopher named Rudolf Steiner who was based in Austria. The term biodynamic has been made popular with the booming growth of the organic wine industry all over the world. Biodynamic wine is grown using biodynamic agricultural practices. Biodynamic practices are more stringent than organic farming methods (see requirements listed above). Today, Germany accounts for almost 50% of the global surface area dedicated to biodynamic farming.
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photo credit: Cooking Up A Story via photopin cc