Agriculture Conference – Dornach, Switzerland

The shadows cast by our globalised civilisation are putting natural vitality and the socialcontext of life under increasing threat. As a biodynamic movement we are trying to protect and support life through our daily engagement with farms, with seeds, apprenticeship training and the sale of products. Is this sufficient as a response to the earth’s cry for help?

This is the point where our conference begins: Can we form alliances with people from kindred organisations by harnessing our combined power on a national and international level in order to provide real and active help to our earth? Creating an alliance requires a coming together from many different directions and working on a common objective. The ability to form alliances must first be learnt however – hence the themed ‘alliance-workshops’. On Thursday the theme is about the required focus: What are the objectives of the alliance and which partners are needed? On Friday it is about transformation: How can the partners develop the additional strength to transcend what already exists and discover new impulses? Inner work is needed from each one: Can I grow with the task? On Saturday it is about creatively shaping the future together: How can the new impulse of the alliance gain acceptance in the world and grow roots?

Wednesday is dedicated to an overview of the demands and opportunities of our time in relation to agriculture and nutrition. The three succeeding days are opened with an introduction to Rudolf Steiner’s Michael letter; which, drawing on a broad historical perspective, calls for courageous intitiative taking permeated by spiritual understanding. Daily keynote speeches given by Nicanor Perlas to the conference theme aim at stimulating work within the ‘alliance workshops‘ that follow. At the beginning of the afternoon there is a conference gathering for the international biodynamic movement which takes the form of self organised meetings of international groups. These groups are to be announced via the internet and at the conference.Afterwards contributions will be made by those actively involved with existing alliances. Later on in the afternoon and in the evening there will be lectures and artistic offerings aimed at opening up inner aspects to the questions: How and where may alliances be created within each individual and between each other in this Michaelic age?

UELI HURTER     JEAN-MICHEL FLORIN     THOMAS LÜTHI

SOURCE: http://www.biodynamic.org.uk/about-bda/biodynamics-worldwide/dornach-agriculture-conference-2013.html

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About Craig Verzone

Craig P. Verzone is a principal at Verzone Woods Architectes and team leader of the Food Urbanism Initiative.

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