Biodynamic and organic: how do they differ?

Rudolf Steiner, founder of Steiner medicine and Waldorf education, gave life to Biodynamics in 1924 - he wanted to set farmers free from chemical products in fertilisation and plant protection. The biodynamic agriculture movement, spread today throughout the world, works to guarantee the decontamination of the Earth and the renewal of agriculture, according to several objectives:

-       Keep the land fertile from one cultivation to the next
-       Keep plants healthy without using any chemical substances
-       Produce ingredients rich in active ingredients and nutrients

The biodynamic method is the purest and cleanest type of cultivation: free of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and synthetic fertilisers used in conventional agriculture, it allows obtaining the most concentrated and effective active ingredients, in respect of the ecosystem.

It is only from healthy, vital soil that the strongest plants, herbs and fruits richest in antioxidants and active ingredients can grow. Exploited with intensive farming and loaded with toxic substances, the clumps of soil often lose vitality and energy, becoming depleted of nutrients and minerals. 

The concept of organic was established much later than biodynamics and is based on several principles:

-       the principle of well-being: avoiding the use of fertilisers and other food additives that can be harmful to health
-       The principle of ecology: those who produce and process organic products must act to benefit the common environment
-       The principle of fairness: every resource used, whether natural or environmental, must take into consideration respect for future generations. Transparency is the basis of this principle during the entire production phase.
-       The precautionary principle: which is summed up in the total absence of GMOs.

Compared to organic agriculture, biodynamic agriculture uses the same techniques plus others, derived from the teachings of Rudolf Steiner.

It can be said that biodynamic agriculture is much more complex and is based on other additional principles.

-       The principle of the farm perceived as a living organic unit and of bio-diversity, where several other organisms that make it up (forest, meadow, fields, garden, animals, etc.) work in harmony, vivifying it through their different ecological functions and making the system dynamic and productive.
-       The principle of biodynamic preparations: dynamisation is a fundamental practice of this type of agriculture, consisting of making certain natural substances active by diluting them with water
-       The principle of the lunar phases: moonlight penetrates more deeply into the soil than sunlight and influences the entire life cycle of plants. Biodynamics believes in the influence of the lunar phases in agriculture and therefore follows a precise astronomical calendar

This is why Ortofficina, the Organic Way farm situated in the hills of Bologna, is an experience of harmony with nature, of human health and well-being, of respect for our planet.

At Ortofficina we use the biodynamic method to grow and harvest the plants that we distill locally, transforming them into OW essential oils and hydrolats, which are 100% active intelligent waters.  

How are essential oils and hydrolats created? Plants are harvested during their balsamic period and taken to the our distillation plant. Water is transformed into steam through the action of heat, entering into contact with the plant and absorbing the aromatic molecules contained in it. In contact with a cooling system, the steam - rich in aromatic molecules - is condensed into a liquid state composed of essential oil and water. It is possible to separate the lipophilic part (essential oil) from the hydrophilic part (watery part rich in essential oil molecules, called hydrolat).

We use both biodynamic and organic phyto-active ingredients in several ways in all Organic Way formulations: extracts, oils, essential oils, hydrolats, and pure micronised plants.

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