Editing Rudolf Steiner (section)

=== Biodynamic agriculture ===
{{Main|Biodynamic agriculture}}
In 1924, a group of farmers concerned about the future of agriculture requested Steiner's help. Steiner responded with a lecture series on an [[ecological agriculture|ecological]] and [[sustainable agriculture|sustainable]] approach to agriculture that increased soil fertility without the use of [[chemical fertilizer]]s and [[pesticide]]s.<ref name="BD1924" /> Steiner's agricultural ideas promptly spread and were put into practice internationally<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Paull |first=John |date=July 2015 |title=The Secrets of Koberwitz: The Diffusion of Rudolf Steiner's Agriculture Course and the Founding of Biodynamic Agriculture |url=http://www.jsrp.ro/content/JSRP-Nr3_PAULL/JSRPNr.3_PAUL.pdf?attredirects=0 |url-status=live |journal=Journal of Social Research & Policy |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=19–29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191125072532/https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxqcnNwb25lfGd4OjIyNjY1MWZiZGViOWFlMg |archive-date=2019-11-25 |access-date=2019-11-25}}</ref> and [[biodynamic agriculture]] is now practiced in Europe,<ref name="olympiad">{{Cite journal |last=Paull |first=John |year=2011 |title=Organics Olympiad 2011: Global Indices of Leadership in Organic Agriculture |url=http://orgprints.org/18860/1/Paull2011OlympiadJSDS.pdf |journal=Journal of Social and Development Sciences |volume=1 |issue=4 |pages=144–150 |doi=10.22610/jsds.v1i4.638 |doi-access=free}}</ref> North America, South America,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Purvis |first=Andrew |date=2009-12-06 |title=Biodynamic coffee farming in Brazil |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/06/biodynamic-coffee-in-brazil |access-date=2018-03-25 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> Africa,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Biodynamic Agricultural Association of Southern Africa - Green Africa Directory |url=http://www.greenafricadirectory.org/listing/biodynamic-agricultural-association-of-southern-africa/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326064109/http://www.greenafricadirectory.org/listing/biodynamic-agricultural-association-of-southern-africa/ |archive-date=26 March 2018 |access-date=2018-03-25 |work=Green Africa Directory |language=en-US}}</ref> Asia<ref name="olympiad" /> and [[Australasia]].<ref name="Koberwitz">Paull, John (2011) [http://www.organic-systems.org/journal/Vol_6(1)/pdf/6(1)-Paull-pp27-41.pdf "Biodynamic Agriculture: The Journey from Koberwitz to the World, 1924–1938"], ''Journal of Organic Systems'', 2011, 6(1):27–41.</ref><ref>[http://www.biodynamics.com/regional.html Groups in N. America], [http://demeter.net/certification/ List of Demeter certifying organizations], [http://demeter.net/certification/ Other biodynamic certifying organization], [http://demeter.net/certification/ce_presentation.php?languagechoice=en&languageadmin=0 Some farms in the world]</ref><ref>How to Save the World: One Man, One Cow, One Planet; Thomas Burstyn</ref>

"Steiner’s 'biodynamic agriculture' based on 'restoring the quasi-mystical relationship between earth and the cosmos' was widely accepted in the Third Reich (28)."<ref name="Purcell 2018 t965">{{Cite web |last=Purcell |first=Brendan |date=24 June 2018 |title=Hitler's Monsters: A Supernatural History of the Third Reich |url=https://voegelinview.com/9101-2/ |access-date=28 February 2024 |website=VoegelinView}}</ref>

A central aspect of biodynamics is that the farm as a whole is seen as an organism, and therefore should be a largely self-sustaining system, producing its own [[manure]] and [[Fodder|animal feed]]. Plant or animal disease is seen as a symptom of problems in the whole organism. Steiner also suggested timing such agricultural activities as sowing, weeding, and harvesting to utilize the influences on plant growth of the [[moon]] and [[planets]]; and the application of natural materials prepared in specific ways to the [[soil]], [[composting|compost]], and crops, with the intention of engaging non-physical beings and elemental forces.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} He encouraged his listeners to verify such suggestions [[scientific method|empirically]], as he had not yet done.<ref name="Koberwitz" />

In a 2002 newspaper editorial, Peter Treue, agricultural researcher at the [[University of Kiel]], characterized biodynamics as [[pseudoscience]] and argued that similar or equal results can be obtained using standard organic farming principles. He wrote that some biodynamic preparations more resemble [[alchemy]] or [[magic (paranormal)|magic]] akin to [[geomancy]].<ref name="treue">{{Cite web |last=Treue |first=Peter |date=13 March 2002 |title=Blut und Bohnen: Der Paradigmenwechsel im Künast-Ministerium ersetzt Wissenschaft durch Okkultismus |url=http://www.nitrogen.de/bub/faz.htm#plan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030417075038/http://www.nitrogen.de/bub/faz.htm |archive-date=17 April 2003 |access-date=15 November 2011 |website=Die Gegenwart |publisher=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung |language=de}} (Translation: "Blood and Beans: The paradigm shift in the Ministry of [[Renate Künast]] replaces science with occultism")</ref>