History of Biodynamic Certification

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bd-cppHISTORY OF BIODYNAMIC CERTIFICATION

In 1928, following Steiner’s agricultural lectures, Demeter (named for the Greek goddess of agriculture) was formed in Europe to promote Biodynamic farming, initiating the first publicly organized promotion of “sustainable” agriculture. A certification system, defined by rigorous farming and processing standards, was implemented, making Demeter the very first ecological label for organically produced foods. Today, Demeter International remains the only internationally recognized Biodynamic certifier and consists of a network of individual certification organizations in 45 countries around the world.

In the U.S. Demeter Association, a non-profit, was formed in 1985 to promote Biodynamic agriculture here, and is the sole holder of the U.S. Patent Office certification marks DEMETER®, BIODYNAMIC®, and DEMETER CERTIFIED BIODYNAMIC®. In order for a commercial farm or product to legally use the term BIODYNAMIC it must have obtained certification through Demeter. The Farming and Processing Standards underlying the certification enable Demeter to protect Biodynamic agriculture and in doing so, to pursue its vision of healing the planet through agriculture.