In 1861, in Kraljevic in present-day Croatia, Rudolf Steiner was born — the founder of Waldorf pedagogy and the inspiration behind biodynamic agriculture.

Philosopher, educationalist and social reformer

Steiner trained at the Vienna Institute of Technology, where he studied physics, a subject that would profoundly influence his thinking. His conviction that the observational method adopted by modern science led only to a view of nature stripped of its vital element prompted Steiner to study Goethe's scientific writings and to theorise a form of thought poised between nature and spirit — the so-called anthroposophy, the wisdom of the human being. In 1902, Steiner openly declared that his aim would be to "find new methods for the study of the soul on a scientific basis".

Waldorf pedagogy

Building on the concept of an anthroposophical society, Steiner developed Waldorf pedagogy, grounded in the idea of an education free from rote learning and focused on the development of the pupil's personality according to age — with no grade repetition, in full freedom to cultivate all disciplines through self-education and the complete self-management of teachers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9eEqomugWo

Biodynamic agriculture

Rudolf Steiner's influence extended across many fields, including medicine, architecture and the agricultural practices known as biodynamic. In the final years of his life, the philosopher devoted himself to biodynamic agriculture, reconciling the anthroposophical spiritual vision of the world with food production through a series of practices — such as observing the phases of the moon — and composting, the fundamental element for respecting an ever-changing ecosystem generated by the close interplay of soil and life.

The scientific roots of biodynamic practices are intertwined with the concept of vital energy and with systems that cannot be deciphered by mainstream science — for example, the spraying of solutions obtained from mixtures of manure and quartz powder. According to proponents of the Steinerian method, biodynamic practices are employed to safeguard the richness of the soil and the life of plants, as well as to yield a better-tasting and healthier product, being entirely free of substances harmful to all living beings.

Biodynamic agriculture: an aid for nature

Rudolf Steiner's contribution to agriculture was to instil in farmers the awareness that they must help nature to evolve; for this reason, Steinerian agricultural practices invite respect for the sensory world and for supersensible, cosmic reality. Steiner himself declared that "Life comes from the entire universe and not simply from what the earth gives us" — which is why biodynamics follows the spiritual-scientific principle of Steinerian anthroposophy to address the problem of declining fertile soil, the shortening of plants' germination periods, and food quality.