3 questions for... Dr. Alexander Gerber

1. In 2024, Demeter is celebrating 100 years of biodynamic agriculture. You personally have also been committed to this issue for many years now. What is it that drives you?

As a young boy I spent my holidays on a small farm, where I witnessed first-hand how people farmed with so much passion and love for the plants and animals. To this day, I can remember the smell of the fodder beet and the hay. I also recall the feeling of going out onto the fields in the morning and mowing the still dewy grass. As a teenager, I then spent six years in Colombia and came to the realisation myself afterwards that agriculture is the basis for solving the world’s problems. We need food sovereignty for all people on this earth, and then everyone can work for the future of the planet. And this agriculture must be ecological and sustainable. I found my own way into biodynamic agriculture because I said: If it’s going to be organic then it needs to be done properly.

2. What were the greatest challenges from your perspective?

Farmers working along biodynamic principles first needed to develop the method and they had to try out a lot of things.

Moreover, it was above all also a social issue for the farms because they had to assert themselves to some extent against their colleagues who were operating conventional farms in the villages. They were treated with hostility and ostracised. But they stood up for what they were doing with a strong attitude and conviction. And in the meantime, they have also been able to win over many of their fellow farmers to the cause. The idea therefore had wings. The third challenge was that the products then also had to be marketed. In a market in which there was still no demand for organic products, this demand had to be created. And we did a good job with that. Today, Demeter is the best-known organic brand in Germany.

3. How has the sector changed in recent years?

We’ve experienced a strong boom in the entire organic farming sector. That means, consumers want to eat high-quality food in line with ethical principles. Insofar, it’s a pity that because of inflation and rising energy prices, consumers have started saving money on food. But if you look closely, they are moving away from high-priced organic products to discount stores and the private labels of food retailers, not from organic food in general. At Demeter, we have only suffered a very small drop in sales, which shows that we have a very loyal customer base.

The challenge now will be to get the wind behind our sails again. Ultimately, it’s about what's happening on the fields. We want to have as much biodynamic and organic farming across the country as possible. To achieve this, the greatest challenge will be to establish new economic ties that must be based on longevity, trust and stable relations. Because this will help us to drive organic farming forward with passion in the long term.