Organic Pineapple Working Group

[Organic Pineapple Working Group <opwg AT lists.ibiblio.org>]

Thursday, March 3, 2011, Rob Moss asked:

> ... Can I assume from this [your comments below] that you are
> interested in Biodynamic agriculture?

Not precisely. Yes, I recall reading works by Rudolph Steiner and
other biodynamic proponents (i.e. Alan Chadwick) so there may well
have been some influence.

But I am not and have never been a member of a biodynamic
organization (i.e. Demeter International) and am neither totally
for, nor opposed to, or even in contact with any of them.

(I also studied philosophical systems of thought but did so in order
to be familiar with the concepts, assimilate those that made sense,
integrate them into my own conceptual framework and put them into
practice in my own life).

As I understand agriculture, it is built on, makes use of and
extends naturally occurring biological processes in which a
multitude of living organisms participate. Any Agricultural
Production System that fails to take the underlying biological
reality of Agriculture into account is defective from origin
(particularly if it does so in order to manufacture and sell an
agriculture input for profit that may not integrate well within
the biological systems we form part of - meaning, we'd be working
against our own nature).

And any attempt to reinvent agriculture from a non-biological
perspective ignores (and rejects) the value of the 3.5 billion years
of evolution that gave rise to Eukaryotes (including us humans and
the pineapple plant) and is therefore unsustainable and doomed to
fail.

But my understanding of Agriculture forms part of a consistent and
comprehensive world view that also embraces health, politics and
social justice with the framework of Socially and Environmentally
Responsible (or Sustainable, Equitable and Integral) Developmental
Models and Policies.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodynamic_agriculture
  Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming that treats
  farms as unified and individual organisms,emphasizing balancing
  the holistic development and interrelationship of the soil,
  plants, animals as a self-nourishing system without external
  inputs insofar as this is possible given the loss of nutrients due
  to the export of food. As in other forms of organic agriculture,
  artificial fertilizers and toxic pesticides and herbicides are
  strictly avoided. There are independent certification agencies for
  biodynamic products, most of which are members of the international
  biodynamics standards group Demeter International.

  Regarded by some as the first modern ecological farming system
  and one of the most sustainable, biodynamic farming has much in
  common with other organic approaches ..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demeter_International
  Demeter International is the largest certification organization
  for biodynamic agriculture, and is ... [an] organic certifier.
  Its name is a reference to Demeter, the Greek goddess of grain and
  fertility...

That's fine, but I'm a fruit person, myself.

  Demeter’s “biodynamic” certification requires biodiversity and
  ecosystem preservation, soil husbandry, livestock integration,
  prohibition of genetically engineered organisms and viewing the
  farm as a living “holistic organism”.

It's an ecosystem designed for off-farm life-support (not an
organism).  See what I mean?

There are coincidences and discrepancies.

(And that's without discussing Biodynamic preparations like:

  Field preparations, for stimulating humus formation:

    * 500: (horn-manure) a humus mixture prepared by filling the
    horn of a cow with cow manure and burying it in the ground
    (40–60 cm below the surface) in the autumn. It is left to
    decompose during the winter and recovered for use the following
    spring.

    * 501: Crushed powdered quartz prepared by stuffing it into a
    horn of a cow and buried into the ground in spring and taken out
    in autumn...

And a few more cosmic and astrological references I simply don't
relate to.

Each of us must be true to his or her own moment in time and take
responsibility for our own actions.

A number of historical antecedents or adjuncts to agriculture may be
worth mentioning in passing but our work (as humans on this planet)
is still there to do and it will be done by those that understand
and are able to implement it.

I hope that answers your question adequately.

Douglas Hinds

> Rob Moss

> -----Original Message-----
> From: opwg-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:opwg-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org]
> On Behalf Of Organic Pineapple Working Group
> Sent: Monday, February 28, 2011 2:47 PM
> To: Organic Pineapple Working Group
> Subject: [OP] Organic: The Concept


> Organic Agriculture as an explicit field of endeavor arose
> originally from a dual motivation fusing a reaction against the need
> to consume toxic pesticide residues contained in food derived from
> plants fed incomplete synthetic fertilizers (on the one hand), based
> in part on an instinctive belief that this need doesn't faithfully
> reflect the kind of world we live in and form part of (on the other).

> Built on that foundation, the "Organic Concept" represented a series of
> practices and principles that conceived of agriculture as a naturally
> occurring phenomena derived from multiple biological processes
> created by many living organisms sharing a common environment.

> This fundamental concept differs greatly from the assumptions
> conventional, chemically based agriculture uses to envision
> agriculture as an activity that involves principally farmers,
> crops, pests, pesticide manufacturers and consumers; a concept
> that emphasizes the existence of a hostile environment filled
> with creatures that pose a threat to humanity's needs and goals.

> Adherents of Organic Agriculture understand that the vast majority
> of of the non-human elements present in our shared environment
> constitute resources that provide farmers with their most valuable
> patrimony, if we bother to study, identify beneficial organisms,
> comprehend the nature of the substances they produce and the
> conditions they require to do so, then work with them (by providing
> those conditions) rather than work against them.

> Unfortunately, this general orientation underlying the rise of
> Organic Farming and the Demand for the Organic Food it produced,
> became subservient to Organic Marketing (Commerce) when the Organic
> Food Production Act of 1990 (OFPA) was finally approved by the
> United States Congress in 2002. By requiring Third Party
> Certification in order to market Organically Produced Food as
> Organic, OFPA (and similar legislatives initiatives in other
> countries) created a different meaning of "Organic Food", legally.

> Not withstanding, the biological foundations that Organic
> Agriculture is built on haven't changed one bit, and Agriculture
> (particularly Organic Agriculture) continues to be the result of a
> Collaborative, Cooperative Effort in which myriad living organisms
> participate and coordinate those efforts within the biosphere in
> which they occur.

> I assume all of you joined the Organic Pineapple Working Group
> motivated by a desire to be aware of the methods available for
> Organic Pineapple Production, methods successfully employed in the
> diverse Pineapple Growing locations of the planet.

> But in order for that information to be available from OPWG, we (the
> 44 pineapple growers, researchers and specialists in sustainable
> development currently subscribed), must agree to collaborate (like
> the rest of the beneficial organisms do in organic agriculture),
> then reach an understand regarding how the various research areas
> will be divided among us.

> To date, only Rob Moss, Duane Bartholomew and myself (Douglas Hinds)
> have responded to the Invitation that was posted recently to OPWG
> for that effect. While I don't mean to nag (or perhaps I do, although
> not excessively), unless additional participants volunteer, OPWG
> will not be likely to fulfill the expectations of those than joined.

> (Anyone reserving judgement due to his/her hesitation to share
> information with potential competitors is welcome to communicate
> with me by private mail so we can discuss ways to assure that no
> one's legitimate interests become abused in the process).

> Thanks in advance for your attention and understanding.

> Douglas Hinds <opwg-owner AT lists.ibiblio.org> (OPWG Chair)
> Mexico <cedecor AT gmx.net>