Meet Ben and Konomi Campbell.
I have met them three years ago while I was an intern at an organic farm. Back when I was in college, I was already extremely interested in biodynamic farming, the farming method that the Campbell's use. This farming method was started by Rudolph Steiner. I love the holistic approach of biodynamics such that the land is not confined only in the earthly plane but also the stars and other planets. The influences vary as the earth moves through the cosmos. They have a calendar wherein the best planting time for certain crops are shown depending on the position of the moon, sun, and other planets relative to the stars. The animals, especially the cow, also play a big part on the balance of the farm. There should be a certain balance of animals, plants, and people in the farm. You can read more from the book of Rudolph Steiner "Agriculture". According to Steiner, the farm should be considered as a living individual organism. It should be self-sufficient and healthy, meaning, no synthetic chemicals or pesticides.
As we are now living in this "modern" world, most farmers still can't remove chemicals from their farming system. I understand their circumstances and the problem is not only with the farmers but also on the consumer side. We want "perfect-looking" crops and low-nutrition, big harvests. Oh how superficial we have become! We can see this as to how we dress ourselves and present ourselves to others. We prefer to invest on our appearances than our inner solace and compassion. We prefer to paint our skins than remove the veils that cover our true selves. This reflects in our diet, lifestyle, relationships, and society.
Biodynamic farming is one of the solutions to help make the world be closer to peace, harmony, and truth. Relying not only the earth but also the cosmic influences, biodynamic farming bridges the wisdom of our ancestors to the modern knowledge. As we reconnect with nature, we may slowly realize our true selves and remove our veils and be more "human".
Ben and Konomi are looking for people who would like to learn biodynamic farming and live a simple farm life! They are looking for like-minded people who wish to build a community founded on love and trust. Please visit their farm and shed light on our current shadowed lifestyle. They have been farming for about 8 years in Japan and have been waiting for people to come to their place and farm with them! All machineries, land, livestock, and land are prepared already so all you got to do is go to their farm and start! Their dream is to fill Japan and this beautiful Earth with biodynamic farms.
They live in Honbetsu, Hokkaido Japan. They have a blog in English and Japanese and see more details on their farm on their website. If you are interested to visit their farm, please contact me and I can take you to their farm or you can directly contact them. They would be very glad to talk with you and share with you all they can share about biodynamic farming! This guys are very passionate on what they are doing and sharing good for this beautiful earth.
Ben Campbell and his happy cows
"I can see that in the future all the farms in Hokkaido will be biodyanmic or organic"
(Photo from diary.oubdfarm.com)
www.diary.oubdfarm.com
