There are always two aspects to the conversion of the farm, smallholding or other. There are of course the changes to land itself but no less important and perhaps even more importantly is the change that the farmer will have to go through. There are two entities being converted and it begins with the human being making a conscious choice to want to work biodynamically, biologically, or within the sphere of the living. This impulse must always begin with the person. This is often a challenging time both inwardly and outwardly for that person who might be said to be ‘in conversion’. The general description of that change one is embarking on is that one is developing one’s attitude and positioning to the phenomena, as they exist and not as normally a purely intellectual or academic approach to outer materialistic circumstances. This perspective goes towards developing what might be described as a “dependable instinct.”
This would be the mode of being of the traditional ‘old world’ farmer. This farmer is someone who is in touch with him/herself and who is equally in touch with his or her natural environment and they always respected themselves and the world as a representation of the world of the spirit. He/she is someone who is working in harmony with nature and is sensitive to things like the weather, the positioning of the moon and planets, the seasons, natural rhythms and orders and even subtleties like soil moisture content. The farmer, by developing this dependable instinct, is enabled to make decisions for the farm that are dependable in their outcomes.
Biodynamic Agriculture is a holistic approach and practice by which the practitioner brings the substances and forces of life and nature into quality and sustainable production.