Biodynamic and organic agriculture products: what are we buying?
Summary:
- Although they share some similarities, the biodynamic and the organic approaches in agriculture show substantial differences, one of the main being the different protocols for the certification of the respective products.
- Biodynamic agriculture is not based on any scientific research or method. On top of the restrictions used in organic agriculture, the biodynamic method applies esoteric techniques based on astrology, for instance.
- Whether organic agriculture is more sustainable in comparison to conventional agriculture is currently a matter of debate.
More and more products labelled as “organic” or “bio” start populating the shelves of many supermarkets. Furthermore, a lively debate within the Italian parliament has recently brought public attention to the concept of biodynamic agriculture. The discussion concerns a law which, if approved, would recognize (and grant public funds to) biodynamic agriculture at the same level as the organic one [1, 2]. The controversy about the methods used within the biodynamic approach does not appear only in Italian newspapers, it also heats up the discussion in other countries around the world [3].
The aim of today’s article is to give a definition to the terms “biodynamic” and “organic” in the context of agriculture (without digging into the theme of livestock farming and related products, which would require a separate investigation) and to underline their differences. “Biological” (or “bio”) is often used as a synonym of “organic” and we will therefore stick to the definition of the second, which is internationally most often adopted.
The concept of organic farming seems to derive from the idea that the farm has to be considered a complete and independent organism [4], which does not need any external inputs and can survive by using the available resources within itself (e. g. by substituting synthetic fertilizers with the manure produced by animals raised in the same farm). This theory has its roots in the concept of biodynamic farming, which originated in the first half of the 20th century from the beliefs of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner [5, 6].
Both biodynamic and organic products need an official certification to be labelled as such. However, while biodynamic certifications are issued by private associations (one of the biggest in the world being Demeter [7]), organic farming and products are recognized and regulated at an international, public level (e. g. by the European commission [8, 9], by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [10] or by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [11]).
The organic kind of cultivation has the aim of preserving the biodiversity and the fertility of the soil by banning (or strongly reducing) the usage of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, thus claiming a lower environmental impact and a better quality of the cultivated products. Furthermore, the organic approach precludes the usage of genetically modified organisms (check here a previous article from F&R about GMOs) [9, 10, 12].
On top of the restrictions used in organic agriculture (Demeter considers the organic certification as a prerequisite to then recognise the biodynamic standard [7]), biodynamic agriculture applies esoteric techniques based, for example, on astrology. It is well known especially for the usage of the so-called “biodynamic preparations” [13] as substitutes for the fertilizers used in conventional agriculture. One of them implies the use of cow’s horns filled with cow’s manure, which have to be buried at the beginning of the winter season and dug up again in spring. The whole procedure is based on the belief that cow’s horns are able to catch the “cosmic forces” and transfer them to the digestive system of the animal. Hence, the manure – previously “energised” within the cow’s intestine and then put in the horns themselves – is expected to very efficiently transfer the “good energies” to the field and fertilize it. Such preparations are not used in organic agriculture.
Similarly to the organic method, the supporters of the biodynamic approach claim the enrichment of soil nutrients and biodiversity as reasons to promote its application [14]. However, there is currently no scientific evidence sustaining these claims [15, 16].
Whether the organic procedures themselves result as more sustainable in comparison to the ones adopted by conventional agriculture is currently a matter of debate [15]. Organic agriculture is reported to produce less stable yields and requires more land than conventional agriculture. Both approaches emit similar amounts of greenhouse gases and, in some cases, organic farming leads to lower energy consumption [17, 18, 19, 20].
To conclude, there is no easy key to a complicated issue such as agriculture sustainability and its environmental impact. Many parameters have to be systematically investigated and their relative stability over time has to be accounted for. Claims for the beneficial effects of organic or biodynamic farming are often prematurely made and are not based on appropriate analysis and comparisons [15].
References:
- https://temi.camera.it/leg18/provvedimento/testo-unificato-sulla-produzione-agricola-con-metodo-biologico.html
- https://www.senato.it/japp/bgt/showdoc/18/DDLPRES/0/1085049/index.html?part=ddlpres_ddlpres1
- https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/mar/05/biodynamic-farming-agriculture-organic-food-production-environment?fbclid=IwAR2r-QtlFL52UHxUH7MSKj2gaqKSFx8dsyCo_ChkKR-Yi5_tkQL9MGPdQao
- Paull, J., The farm as organism: the foundational idea of organic agriculture. Journal of Bio-Dynamics Tasmania, 80, 14-18 (2006).
- Paull, J., Attending the First Organic Agriculture Course: Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course at Koberwitz, 1924. European Journal of Social Sciences, 21(1):64-70 (2011).
- Steiner, R., 1924, Agriculture course, the birth of the biodynamic method, eight lectures and discussions, Skylark Books, Hastings, UK (2003 reprint).
- https://www.demeter.net
- https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/farming/organic-farming/organics-glance_en#legislation
- https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/farming/organic-farming/organic-production-and-products_en
- https://www.fao.org/organicag/oa-faq/oa-faq1/en/
- https://www.fdaimports.com/usda/organic-products/
- https://feder.bio/cosa-gli-ogm/
- https://www.demeter.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Demeter-Biodynamic-Preparations-Manual_2020.pdf
- https://www.scienzainrete.it/articolo/agricoltura-biodinamica-al-vaglio-della-scienza/enrico-bucci-ernesto-carafoli/2018-11-12?fbclid=IwAR1lDgfuTjshIRzhn8PqsF5iakPDkH1173PVHz0T6AupPy5dl81sofxft08
- Leifeld, J. and Fuhrer, J., “Organic Farming and Soil Carbon Sequestration: What Do We Really Know About the Benefits?,” Ambio, vol. 39, no. 8, pp. 585–599 (2010).
- Ryan, M., “Is an Enhanced Soil Biological Community, Relative to Conventional Neighbours, a Consistent Feature of Alternative (Organic and Biodynamic) Agricultural Systems?,” Biol. Agric. Hortic, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 131–144 (1999).
- Knapp, S., van der Heijden, M.G.A., A global meta-analysis of yield stability in organic and conservation agriculture. Nat Commun 9, 3632 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05956-1
- Flessa, H., R. Ruser, P. Dorsch, T. Kamp, M.A. Jiminez, J.C. Munch, and F. Beese., Integrated evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O) from two farming systems in southern Germany. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 91: 175–189 (2002).
- Clark, M. and Tilman, D. Comparative analysis of environmental impacts of agricultural production systems, agricultural input efficiency, and food choice. Environ. Res. Lett. 12 064016 (2017).
- https://ourworldindata.org/is-organic-agriculture-better-for-the-environment