WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY - ORGANIC VS BIODYNAMIC VS REGENERATIVE FARMING
It's World Environment Day on Saturday, a United Nations set day for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment. In the spirit of celebrating what our environment can provide when nurtured and protected, I wanted to put together a little blog post about the key differences between organic and biodynamic which I’m often asked. Lately, with an even more heightened interest in how and where our food is grown, you may have heard about regenerative farming which I’ll cover here too. I also asked my friend Rory Spowers, ecological campaigner, writer and founder of The Re-Generation, a media platform exploring 'deep systemic change through radical self-reliance, resilience and a regenerative renaissance ', for his thoughts on this topic and why these types of farming are important for our future and why it's good for us to understand the difference in what we're buying, especially when it usually comes at a higher price. Rory said:
I am very interested in biodynamics, an uber holistic integrated system of farming - an interesting example of where the deeply esoteric meets science. Take the winemaking industry in Burgundy where one vineyard started outperforming in blind taste tests after implementing biodynamic practices; at the time they couldn’t explain how it worked but the proof was in the pudding and it quickly inspired others in the region to follow suit. Since then the wine makers in that region have been able to use science to understand how planting, harvesting and bottling by the moon has an impact on the final product. This is a great example of a conventional causal mechanistic explanation as to why this stuff works. We don’t have an empirical way to quantify some of these things now, but that doesn't mean we won’t have one in the future. Just because science doesn’t yet recognise a mechanism or have an understanding of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It’s just that science hasn’t yet discovered it. Surely gravity and magnetism existed before science recognised them and measured them?
The real goal of all these types of farming is to regenerate the topsoil; reversing the trend of depleting the soil and destroying the microorganisms that are so essential to replenishing the soil and which enable the soil to sequester the carbon and metabolise the nutrients. When we concentrate on the health of the soil we cannot fail to increase the health and nutrition of the vegetables grown in it.
The debate between local versus organic is incredibly complex, it often depends where you are. The most important thing is to seek out and support your small local producers and suppliers who are being threatened by new economic changes and all of the recent dominant ideologies around that advocate for synthetic meat, monoculture and lab grown food. These ideologies have no interest in preserving small diversified farming which they see as something obsolete. I really recommend the book A Small Farm Future by Chris Smaje for anyone who is interested in learning more. Really, if there is to be a future for humanity on a planet that most of us would like to inhabit, there is no more compelling case than switching to small and medium scale diversified farming, which can recorrect health at all levels - from the soil, to the human body; from local ecosystems to the global ecology and the carbon cycle; from local economies and communities to the burgeoning mental health epidemic.
Look within your local area to see if you can find small scale suppliers of fruit, veg, dairy, fish and meat. Avoid purchasing items covered in plastic and filled with chemicals. On average you’re maybe paying 20% more for a high-quality product that's come from a local area. For those who only have access to supermarkets for their purchases, then support organic wherever you can. Of course that being said, we have to navigate our way through all this, depending on our own economic situation.
Ultimately this is an exercise in regaining sovereignty and control over your food supply whenever you can and wherever you can - which of course is very difficult for a lot of us but there are amazing farmers markets in London now, food cooperatives on the outskirts of London and allotments both inside and outside the city. Look at indoor growing - microgreens, sprouts, edible and medicinal mushrooms can all be grown indoors even if all the space you have is a small windowsill.
Read on to find out the difference between these three farming practices and some tips on integrating this kind of food into your lifestyle, including a few from Rory:
WHAT IS ORGANIC?
Organic food is produced on farms which avoid the use of man-made fertilisers and pesticides. Organic farms are allowed controlled use of 20 pesticides derived from natural ingredients (things like citronella and clove oil) compared to around 400 in non-organic farming. Organic farming is about working with nature, building the fertility of the soil and encouraging natural wildlife such as our all-important pollinators.
WHAT IS BIODYNAMIC?
Biodynamic goes one step further than organic, promoting a uniquely holistic approach to organic agriculture, gardening, food and health. Founded by scientist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), it’s less concerned with producing “the maximum” and instead focuses on nurturing and learning about the land and animals to help them reach their full potential. Biodynamic farming looks at four main areas:
Ecological - Biodynamic farms and gardens are inspired by the biodiversity of natural ecosystems and the uniqueness of each landscape. Herbal and mineral preparations are used to improve the health and vitality of soil.
Ethical - Biodynamic farming focuses on creating conditions for optimal soil, plant and animal health, providing an environment where they can thrive. When farms incorporate a robust diversity of plants and animals, it in turns creates a habitat where natural predators, pests and diseases have few places to thrive.
Social - Community supported agriculture (CSA) was pioneered by biodynamic farmers, and many biodynamic practitioners work in creative partnerships with other farms and with schools, medica, wellness facilities and other organisations.
Spiritual - a biodynamic astronomical calendar is often consulted to help assess optimum times for sowing, planting etc.. If you want to try this at home, have a look at the app Moon & Garden which suggests what to focus on in the garden and when.
Head over here to read more about the principles and practices of biodynamic farming.
WHAT IS REGENERATIVE FARMING?
Regenerative farming also takes things further than organic by taking a holistic view of agriculture which looks to rebuild soil organic matter and restore degraded soil diversity, focusing on a multitude of different techniques such as: permaculture, agroecology, agroforestry, restoration ecology, holistic management and both organic and biodynamic techniques. Biodynamic farming therefore comes under the banner of regenerative farming since it is a type of regenerative practice.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
In the UK there are eight approved control bodies to look out for:
THE COST OF EATING FOOD GROWN IN LINE WITH NATURE
Unfortunately, in today’s culture, the choice to eat organic or biodynamic food is a luxury. There are many people and bodies working to change this, such as Farms to Feed Us, Catherine Chong and Grow by George Lamb, fighting for it to become the norm vs something we have to search or pay more for.
Here are some tips on more affordable ways to eat food grown using the above principles:
Eat less, but better, meat
Lower your meat intake, choose better quality animal products and increase your plant-based accompaniments — meat (both organic and non-organic) is more expensive than the other ingredients which make a full meal (pulses, grains, vegetables etc..). Buy better and buy less.
Eat more soups and stews
Soups and stews are a versatile and easy way to use more affordable ingredients, including veg, pulses and cheaper cuts of meat — which while cheaper are no less nutritious or high quality than their quicker to cook counterparts — in fact meat on the bone has the benefit of minerals from the bone. Slow/long cooking also renders everything more digestible, and makes food-combining less of an issue because all your ingredients get to know each other in the pot before they hit your stomach.
Sign up for a veg box
Purchasing a weekly veg box subscription can save your money vs buying your vegetables individually. We like Riverford, but have also recently tried Pikt Fresh who we were really impressed by — it’s a big box so great for a larger family. We’ve also noticed that in summer months we sometimes get even more than we bargained for — by choosing “seasonal veg boxes” we sometimes end up with whatever there has been a glut of!
Eat seasonally
Eating with the seasons is not only recommended in Ayurveda, but another way to eat more organically for less — head to your local farmer’s market or farm directly to pick up excess produce on the cheap!
Buy in bulk
Check websites like Wholefoods Online where you can bulk buy organic pulses, nuts and seeds at much better value than smaller 250g or 500g bags available at the supermarket.
Grow your own
Allotments, veg patches, window sills and even a makeshift sprouter are a way that you can get in on the action, no matter how small and connect to food grown without synthetic pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers. It’s as fresh and local as you can get and full of prana!
Food buying groups
If you have friends or neighbours who have similar beliefs when it comes to purchasing your food, order online in bulk together - not only will delivery cost less for one big order vs individual orders, but less carbon emissions will be produced. Make a weekly or monthly event out of it — sit and have a cup of tea together and connect.
For seasonal recipe inspiration head over to FOOD WITH THOUGHT on my blog here.