Organic vegan agriculture

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Organic-vegan agriculture (also organic-vegan, biovegan or biocyclic-vegan ) combines the principles of organic agriculture with those of veganism . As a result, no animals are kept for the production of food and any conscious input of animal origin such as liquid manure , horn shavings , blood meal or fish meal is excluded, as are chemical-synthetic products for fertilization or pest control. So far, organic vegan farming has only been practiced by smallholders. Since 2017 there has been a recognized certification in Germany for companies that consistently produce according to organic vegan guidelines.

term

The term organic-vegan comes from the English stockfree-organic , which means organically produced without livestock, without animal inputs . In German , the terms bio-vegan , vegan-organic or plant-organic can be used synonymously. Biocyclic stands for life cycle ( Greek "bios" = life and "kyclos" = cycle). However, cultivation is only carried out in a closed cycle if no nutrients are supplied from the outside.

history

Already at the beginning of the 20th century there were approaches to farming without livestock. In the 1950s, Adolf Hoops (1932–1999) laid the foundations for circular, purely plant-based farming on the Lüneburg Heath. Eugen Ehrenberg, who co-founded the Gärtnerhof Bienenbüttel in Lower Saxony in 1978, is considered one of the pioneers of organic vegan cultivation in Germany .

In the UK , vegan farming began to spread in the early 1990s. With the establishment of the non-profit organization "Vegan-Organic Network" (abbreviated: VON) in 1996, an international network was created for the exchange of information on organic-vegan agriculture. VON developed binding guidelines for organic vegan farming. At the end of the 1990s, the "Biological-Vegan Network for Agriculture and Horticulture" association was founded to promote this development in German-speaking countries as well.

The German farmer and agricultural economist Johannes Eisenbach benefited from the experience with plant-based agriculture of Greek farmers when he took up the ideas of Adolf Hoops in the mid-1990s and started a vegan fertilizer made from grape pomace , olive leaves and olive cake on his olive farm south of Kalamata dry residue after the olives have been pressed - to produce, which is high in nitrogen. The cultivation trials carried out together with Greek farmers led to the development of biocyclic guidelines for vegan cultivation. Farms and orchards in Greece and Cyprus were among the first to introduce certification for their vegan agriculture. In the meantime, over 80 small-scale family businesses have joined forces in the OMEN (Organic Marketing Export Network) producer group. They grow olives, citrus fruits and vegetables for export to Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, where the demand for vegan foods is increasing. In addition, associations and initiatives have already emerged in several European countries that have loosely formed the “International Biocyclic Vegan Network” and whose aim is to promote the development of biocyclic vegan cultivation.

Differentiation between bio-vegan and livestock farming

A farm is referred to as having no livestock or livestock if no livestock or less than approx. 0.2 GV / ha are kept. Livestock-free farming is often structurally or operationally justified: animal husbandry is too labor-intensive or the location of the farm is in a purely arable farming region. While in organic farming z. For example, there are farms in the Bioland and Naturland cultivation associations that operate largely without cattle in the sense of a circular economy, is an integral part of the biodynamic cultivation guidelines at Demeter . Even if no animals are kept on the farm, preparations made from animal components must be used.

In vegan agriculture, the conscious use of animal products in arable farming is rejected and the control of animal pests is avoided. Vegan agriculture is u. a. Motivated by ethical concerns about the exploitation and killing of animals and the related criticism of farm animal husbandry.

See also: animal ethics

Special features organic vegan agriculture

Ecological and bio-vegan agriculture are system-based approaches based on the diverse interactions of an ecosystem . This presents companies with special challenges.

Crop rotation

The crop rotation must due to limited opportunities for nitrogen supply are designed so that the nitrogen losses are minimized. As is usual in organic farming, solid crop rotation planning is very important in organic vegan farming. The aim is to optimally supply the cultivated crop with nutrients according to its needs and to minimize adverse crop rotation effects. The former is done by balancing the nutrients entered and removed before and after sowing or harvesting. In organic farming in general, legume cultivation is therefore of great importance in crop rotation planning. Legumes can organically bind the nitrogen present in the air and make this partially available for subsequent cultivation via plant residues remaining in the soil. The harvest residues of other plant species that remain in the field provide primarily carbon for the formation of humus, which is assimilated from the air. This does not happen any differently in organic vegan farming, only that animal fertilizers (liquid manure, manure and slaughterhouse waste) are consistently avoided. Another aspect of crop rotation planning is the sensible and diverse selection of crops and, where it can be established operationally, cultivation in mixed crops. This can prevent diseases, soil fatigue and negative, allelopathic crop rotation effects and B. by combining deep and shallow roots, the nutrient digestion can be improved. Mixed cultivation can contribute to the diversification of the agricultural biocenosis.

Shutdown

Temporary set-aside (also called fallow land ) usually serves as the basis for crop rotation, for example with regard to nitrogen supply , humus balance and weed regulation. However, this brings with it challenges, such as lower positive effects in terms of weeds, humus and soil structure than with field forage cultivation over several years . A suitable measure is for example the optimization of the cultivation of legumes in intermediate fruits or undersowing to reduce the proportion of areas set aside.

Weed management and pest control

Adequate preventive weed suppression , for example through crop rotation and tillage , is one of the greatest challenges for the farm. Crop rotation sequences adapted to the respective locations are ideal for this. In addition, intensive mechanical weed control can also be appropriate. A high incidence of pest insects is seen as a sign of an imbalance between pests and their opponents. The causes for this can be varied, e.g. B. to be looked for in the crop rotation or in the nutrient supply, but also due to the weather and other external factors. The approach of organic vegan agriculture is based on self-regulation. In this sense, pests or over-growing weeds are not regulated with pesticides or the like. Instead, the creation and maintenance of flower strips and hedges, natural field edges and smaller parcels as well as the implementation of measures for the settlement of insects, amphibians, birds and predators, should strengthen biodiversity and support self-regulation. The use of beneficial insects is permitted, e.g. flower bugs against aphids .

fertilization

Alternatives to fertilizers of animal origin can be green manure, plant-based compost and mulch . Four components in particular are used to supply the vegan cultivation culture with nutrients: nitrogen fertilization (through legume cultivation, nitrogen replenishment from the preculture, possibly plant manure and quickly mineralizing plant-based NPK fertilizer , plant-based fermentation substrates from biogas plants), carbon fertilization (e.g. through compost, mulch / green manure ), Phosphate fertilization (possibly mineral, according to the withdrawal as required), active nutrient mobilization through mycorrhiza and long-term humus build-up .

Location and yield

Site characteristics such as soil and climate can have a greater impact on organic vegan farms than on other cultivation methods. According to the agronomist Friedhelm Taube, who along with the Albrechts Christian University accompanied Kiel the experimental farm Lindhof for organic farming in Schleswig-Holstein, is agriculture, which waives all animal manure, dry locations, as they in the Mediterranean finds , quite possible. In areas with higher rainfall, however, leachate would wash nutrients such as nitrogen out of the soil too quickly. According to Taube, studies show a yield increase of up to ten percent when using organic fertilizers such as liquid manure. Some bio-vegan farmers buy vegetable fertilizers, which are significantly more expensive than conventional manure or liquid manure, in order to ensure a sufficient supply of nitrogen. Lower yields could be compensated if grain is not grown as animal feed, but directly for human consumption. Reducing meat consumption by almost half would free up almost a quarter of the usable area in Germany.

Certification

The European Vegetarian Union awards the V-Label for vegetarian and vegan foods that have been checked from the processing stage. Whether or not animal fertilizers were used during cultivation and according to ecological principles is not part of the certification.

The British “Vegan Organic Network” issued the “Stockfree-Organic Standards” (SOS) guidelines in 2007, according to which farms can be certified that produce both in accordance with the EU organic regulation and vegan.

In 2017, the International Association of Organic Farming Movements (IFOAM) recognized the biocyclic vegan guidelines, which are made known in German-speaking countries by the “Biocyclic Vegan Cultivation” sponsorship group, as an independent ecological standard. Companies that consistently produce according to these guidelines can be certified and label their products with the biocyclic vegan seal of approval.

Organic vegan cultivation and products

The following organic vegan products can currently be purchased in Germany:

  • Apples, plums, nuts from Germany,
  • Citrus fruits, kiwis, trots, bananas, Hokkaido, Sharon fruits, ginger, vegetables, olives, olive oil from Greece,
  • Pomegranates, olive oil from Cyprus,
  • Soybeans, sunflower seeds, baking wheat from Hungary
  • and wine from France.

Farms in Switzerland (field vegetables, soybeans) and the Netherlands (field vegetables) are in preparation for the biocyclic vegan certification.

The Vegetarian Association Germany lists 13 organic vegan companies in Germany (as of 2019). According to the agricultural engineer and founder of the bio-vegan network in Germany, Daniel Mettke, the farms that produce bio-vegan "have a consistently positive balance in terms of economy and resource consumption".

Gärtnerhof Bienenbüttel

According to a report in the taz , the Gärtnerhof Bienenbüttel in the Lüneburg Heath was one of the few profit-oriented organic vegan farms in Germany. There are no farm animals there. The farm community does not use any chemical weed killers or animal fertilizers such as liquid manure, dung or horn and fertilizes with vegetable waste and plant-based fertilizer pellets. Potatoes, 60 types of vegetables and herbs are grown on four hectares and marketed directly at the regional weekly market and in the farm shop .

Biohof Hausmann

Daniel Hausmann, who completed a degree in organic farming, took over his father's farm in Breitenborn ( Rochlitz ) with 15 suckler cows for calf rearing in 2012 and converted it into an organic vegan farm. He dispenses with chemical-synthetic fertilizers as well as supplementary fertilizers made from hair or feather meal. His plants would therefore grow more slowly. For fertilization, he uses legumes such as in grass-clover mixtures. Nitrogen and other nutrients are added to the soil through composting . In 2017, he was the only farmer in Saxony to practice organic farming. He works 25 hectares. He markets potatoes and vegetables across Germany in direct sales using organic boxes . In arable farming he has on average only half the yields from conventional farming; there, however, more than half of the harvest is fed to animals, says Hausmann to vegan-ist-zukunft.de.

Organic farm dog

Clemens Hund has been a certified organic farmer in Meckenbeuren in Baden-Württemberg since 2012 . He grows apples, plums and walnuts and makes apple juice and apple brandy. In 2017, the company was the first to be awarded the “biocyclic vegan cultivation” seal of approval.

PfalzBio GbR

On the farm of Bernd Kugelmann in Kandel (Palatinate) , which started as a horticultural company in 2002, vegetables are mainly grown outdoors on 48 hectares. Kugelmann came up with the idea of ​​vegan production after the outbreak of the EHEC epidemic in Germany in 2011 . According to his own statement, his earnings have not deteriorated. According to Ralf Loges, an agricultural scientist at the University of Kiel , the humus balance of Kugelmanns Hof is good. The vegan economy would solve many environmental problems. Kugelmann markets its products via its own online shop.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. a b The organic-vegan standards. (PDF) biovegan.org - The organic-vegan network for agriculture and horticulture, accessed on February 8, 2015 .
  2. Gunter Vogt: Origin and development of organic farming. (PDF) Ecology & Agriculture Foundation, Bad Dürkheim, 2000, accessed on February 3, 2015 .
  3. Biocyclic vegan cultivation - an option for organic farms? In: Ökolandbau.de
  4. a b c d e Daniel Schneider: Agriculture without animals? In: Süddeutsche Zeitung. November 1, 2017. (sueddeutsche.de)
  5. Vegan Organic Network website. Vegan Organic Network, accessed February 3, 2015 .
  6. Vegan instead of just organic. Organic vegan agriculture: no shit whatsoever. In: Deutschlandfunk Nova . January 6, 2017.
  7. Patrick Barkham: ' We're humus sapiens': the farmers who shun animal manure. In: The Guardian. January 12, 2019. (theguardian.com)
  8. Patrick Barkham: ' We're humus sapiens': the farmers who shun animal manure. In: The Guardian. January 12, 2019. (theguardian.com)
  9. International Biocyclic Vegan Network website , accessed November 17, 2019.
  10. a b Cattle-free arable farming in organic farming - evaluation of the current state of knowledge based on farm examples and expert surveys. (PDF) Justus Liebig University Giessen Institute for Plant Production and Plant Breeding II, 2003, accessed on February 21, 2015 .
  11. But there is also "animalless" organic farming. Why is it not vegan? biovegan.org, accessed February 21, 2015 .
  12. How should a closed operating cycle in organic-vegan agriculture and horticulture / without “farm animals” look like? biovegan.org, accessed February 21, 2015 .
  13. 4. What are the advantages of organic vegan agriculture compared to conventional agriculture? biovegan.org, accessed February 21, 2015 .
  14. Nutrients and soil additives. biovegan.org, accessed February 21, 2015 .
  15. Phosphate mobilization through main crops and catch crops after fertilization of soft-earth rock phosphate in organic farming. (PDF) Steffens, Diedrich; Stamm, Roland; Leithold, Günter; Schubert, Sven, accessed February 21, 2015 .
  16. Mycorrhiza - a fascinating community in the soil. (No longer available online.) Werner Vogt-Kaute, archived from the original on February 21, 2015 ; accessed on February 21, 2015 .
  17. Biocyclic-Vegan Guidelines , Version 1.03 / March 31, 2019 (PDF), biozyklisch-vegan.org - Support Group Biocyclic-Vegan Cultivation , accessed on November 17, 2019.
  18. The Biocyclical Vegan Seal of Approval , website siegelklarheit.de, accessed on November 17, 2019.
  19. Vegan agriculture recognized as a standard , press release of the Albert Schweitzer Foundation for our environment , January 11, 2018.
  20. Organic fruit from Lake Constance now also certified biocyclically vegan -. February 11, 2020, accessed on February 11, 2020 (German).
  21. Organic vegan companies , at: ProVeg Germany
  22. Svenja Bednarczyk: Biovegane agriculture. Cucumber without animal. In: Taz. August 18, 2014. (taz.de)
  23. Gärtnerhof Bienenbüttel GmbH , at: ProVeg Germany
  24. Natascha Gross: How vegan are your vegetables? In: Vegan is the future. August 16, 2019, accessed on August 29, 2019 (German).
  25. This farmer produces completely animal-free. In: schwäbische.de, February 7, 2018
  26. Jost Maurin: First farms with bio-vegan seal. Kugelmann mucked out. In: Taz. February 9, 2018. (taz.de)

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