Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

1. Toward Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

2. Presentation Outline Part One: The Vision Part Two: Herrmannsdorfer Landwerk- stätten – a Practical Example for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Processing (also see Video/CD-ROM) Part Three: Seven Key Drivers of Whole System Design at the Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten Part Four: Summary of Eleven Goals to be Reached by the Implementation of Eco-Agriculture Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

3. Part One: The Vision – Summary Points 1. Future viability is the idea underlying the production, processing, and marketing of food. Agriculture and food production that remain viable in the future realize— - Sustainability, - The principle of responsibility, - Efficient economic practices, - Health and well-being, - Marketability, and - Multifunctionality.  They intelligently link regionalization and globalization and use modern technology. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

4. The Vision – Summary Points 2. Food must be produced as organically as possible. The organic quality of food comes from sustainable production, which protects the natural basis of existence and preserves plant and animal diversity. Ecological agriculture guarantees the living conditions and habitats that are appropriate for each species of plant and animal involved. With ecological agriculture and food production, people can take responsibility for nature—for human beings, flora and fauna, water, air, and soil. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

5. The Vision – Summary Points 3. An ecology of integrated cycles and close sourcing makes these goals achievable. According to this ecological principle, most of the food raised, processed, and sold in a given area comes from that region. Its freshness and taste are guaranteed. An ecology of integrated cycles and close sourcing encompasses thinking and behavior consistent with natural cycles, from the cultivation of fodder crops to the use of organic waste. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

6. The Vision – Summary Points 4. Consumers desire high-quality food. It must be natural and good tasting. Because organically produced foods are rich in nutrients, they help lower health costs naturally. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

7. The Vision – Summary Points 5. Restoring quality through an ecology of integrated cycles and close sourcing is economical. Short distances are not cost intensive. They incur no costs that society at large must bear for practices harmful to plants, animals, or the environment. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

8. The Vision – Summary Points 6. The ecological efficiency achieved by sustainable culture and food production mainly strengthens small business and the crafts by easing pressure on municipal budgets and sharpening competitiveness within and between regions. A regional network economy stimulates employment and fosters innovation. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

9. Part II: Practical Examples for Eco-Agriculture Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten/Glonn, Germany The Mission: Restoring Quality Through an Ecology of Integrated Cycles and Close Sourcing Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

10. Regional Circuit Economy Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

11. Practical Examples - Herrmannsdorf The Main Principle for the Future Viability of Food Production, Processing and Marketing in the Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten: WHOLE-SYSTEM DESIGN. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

12. Practical Examples - Herrmannsdorf Whole-system design optimizes an entire system to capture synergies. The concept is straightforward, but implementation is not trivial. It requires creativity, good communication, and a desire to look at causes of problems rather than adopting familiar solutions – and it requires getting to the root of the problem: education. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

13. Practical Examples - Herrmannsdorf • The Innovation: • Systems innovation on the level of combining different solutions: • Regenerative energies • Animal husbandry • Processing technology • Craftsmanship • Work Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

14. Part Three: Seven Key Drivers of Whole System Design at the Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten Key Driver One: • The maintenance and enhancement of the holistic relationship of the landscape, its ecosystem and the farming system. • maintaining and recreating downland features such as permanent pasture and beech copses; • cropping and cultivation to minimise the risk of soil erosion; • nutrient management to protect aquifers and watercourses; • livestock breeds and systems appropriate to the soil and landscape. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

15. Seven Key Drivers of Whole System Design at the Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten Key Driver Two: • Nutrient cycling within a largely closed system. • Ensuring that nitrogen is supplied through the rotation and that cropping is balanced to the supply. • Maintaining a low external input system to optimise output at all levels appropriate to the health of the soil, landscape and its ecosystem. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

16. Seven Key Drivers of Whole System Design at the Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten Key Driver Three: • A largely self-sufficient livestock-feeding regime. • Complements the nutrient cycling driver. • Enhances the integration of the different farming enterprises. • Links the character of the land directly to the character of the livestock output. • Along with the idea of closed herds and flocks it aims to maximise the flow of energy or vitality through soil, plant and animal as it is found at the Hermannsdorfer Landwerkstätten. . Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

17. Seven Key Drivers of Whole System Design at the Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten Key Driver Four: • The development of innovative systems that are at one with the landscape and its ecosystem. • A living organism is not static, it is dynamic and can evolve and adapt. • This should be in harmony with the landscape and its ecosystem. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

18. Seven Key Drivers of Whole System Design at the Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten Key Driver Five: • The maintenance and enhancement of a mosaic of diversity. • The network of droveways, green lanes and hedges are a good basis and framework to build a rich biodiversity in a type of landscape which, elsewhere, is relatively poor. • This diversity can be extended into the farming system and physically, ecologically and holistically tied to the landscape organism. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

19. Seven Key Drivers of Whole System Design at the Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten Key Driver Six: • The production of food of high and holistic quality. • Food which has the character and energy/vitality of Herrmannsdorf because it is produced from animals born and raised, grazed, fed, watered and lived as part of the living entity that is Herrmannsdorf. • Ideally, it would also be processed in the artisanal or craft culture that captures and enhances its innate character. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

20. Seven Key Drivers of Whole System Design at the Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten Key Driver Seven: • Businesslike and commercially minded. • There is likely to be a tension between this driver and others but this can be innovative and not necessarily destructive. • This constituent has a primary function but with two aspects; • the commercial drive is constrained by the others so that it seeks to optimise not maximise; • a businesslike attitude and commercial mind brings external costs and values to bear in gearing and selecting the other drivers. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

21. Part Four: Summary Eleven Goals to be Reached by the Implementation of Eco-Agriculture Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

22. Part Four: Summary • To work as much as possible within a closed system, and draw upon local resources. • To maintain the long term fertility of soils. • To provide foodstuffs of high nutritional quality and sufficient quantity. • To use decentralized systems for processing, distribution and marketing of products. • To use and develop appropriate technology based on an understanding of biological systems. • To give lifestock conditions of life that conform to their physiological needs and to humanitarian principles. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald

23. Part Four: Summary • To avoid all forms of pollution that may result from agricultural techniques. • To reduce the use of fossil energy in agricultural practice to a minimum. • To maintain and preserve wildlife and their habitats. • To create a system which is aesthetically pleasing to both those within and those outside of the system. • To make it possible for agricultural producers to earn a living through their work and develop their potentialities as human beings. Prof. Dr. Franz-Theo Gottwald