Meeting the Spirit of the Land: exploring Spirituality in Farming with biodynamic grower, André Tranquilini

Sep 20, 2023

André Tranquilini, estate manager at Waltham Place, is a biodynamic farming expert with experience across Brazil and Europe. He shares his fascinating journey from urban Brazil to sustainable agriculture, intertwining spirituality with farming practices. André delves into the interplay of microbiomes and health, contrasting biodynamic methods with industrial agriculture. He emphasizes the transformative power of hands-on education for youth, the importance of preserving biodiversity, and the spiritual connections we can foster with the land through holistic practices.

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Intro

00:00 • 5min

From Urban Life to Biodynamic Farming

05:06 • 6min

The Tapestry of Brazilian Culture

11:16 • 12min

Biodynamics: Nourishing Body and Soul

23:40 • 17min

Monitoring Biodiversity in Rewilded Orchards

40:57 • 2min

Cultivating Young Minds: Nature and Education

42:35 • 8min

Revolutionizing Agriculture: From Industrial to Biodynamic Practices

50:11 • 20min

Exploring Biodynamic Farming Practices

01:10:20 • 6min

Seeds of Change: Embracing Diversity in Horticulture

01:16:27 • 10min

In this, our 200th episode of Accidental Gods podcast, I am delighted to be joined by André Tranquilini, estate manager at Waltham Place, a 220 acred biodynamic estate in Berkshire, in the UK.

André is a biodynamic farmer, consultant and teacher. He has been the manager at Waltham Place since 2018. André has worked extensively as a market gardener, Steiner school teacher and farmer, and was a founding member of the seed company, Living Seeds, in Portugal. Born in Brazil, André has had the opportunity to work and manage farms in his homeland, as well as Portugal and the UK. He has traveled widely teaching workshops and lecturing on Biodynamic Agriculture and is recognised as a biodynamic consultant by the international Biodynamic Agriculture section at the Goetheanum in Switzerland.

This was one of the podcasts where we could have talked for hours, if not days. With is background in Brazil and coming from a mix of several racial groups, both colonised and colonisers, André brings a unique mix of perspectives just from the outset. Then with his training in Steiner's philosophy, and at Emerson College, coupled with his choice to specialise in biodynamic farming, he offers insights into the spirituality of agriculture, of how we can bring genuine deep connection with the web of life into our reality to re-connect the disconnections of the last ten millennia.

He is passionate about the nature of living food and really knowledgable on how different it is from the industrially farmed and processed foods we are generally offered. He's part of a think-tank, A Bigger Conversation, that's looking into appropriate technology in farming and is at the leading edge of innovation in the biodynamic field, bringing the best of our new world together with the depth of experience that has grown out of the connection with the land. This was an inspiring and generative conversation and I bring it to you with great joy.

Waltham Place https://www.walthamplace.com/
Waltham Biodynamic Education: https://www.walthamplace.com/biodynamic-gardening
Biodynamic Association https://www.biodynamic.org.uk/
Emerson College https://emerson.org.uk/
A Bigger Conversation Think Tank https://abiggerconversation.org/
DOK Trial: https://www.biodynamic.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/42-years-of-the-DOK-trial-research-Star-furrow-issue-139-Spring-2023-pages-22-23.pdf
Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tropical-forests-may-be-getting-too-hot-for-photosynthesis/