Biodynamic Certification in Brazil

Background: The certification process was a legal milestone for Biodynamic agriculture, because through this standardization process, the principles initially proposed by Steiner for agriculture were legitimized. Through this aegis of legality, the associations and institutes of the biodynamic movement managed to establish themselves and grow in the 20th century, especially after the second world war. Due to the importance of this recognition, this article seeks to understand the trajectory of Biodynamic certification in Brazil, as well as the institutions linked to the certification process. Materials: and methods: A descriptive study of the certification process was carried out, characterized by a study that focuses on precise and explicit objectives about the observed facts describing the characteristics of a phenomenon or group of individuals, in the research in question, the agents involved in the certification process, as well as the certifying institutions located in Brazil. Bibliographic research was also conducted on the theme and semi-structured interviews with agents of the Biodynamic movement in Brazil. Results: : The history of Biodynamics in Brazil is by no means dissociated from the history of the movement started in 1924 by Steiner's agricultural course. The first immigrants to practice Biodynamic agriculture on Brazilian soil were German farmers who left their country of origin in 1939, a time of expansion of the Experimental Circle and full dissemination of Steiner's principles throughout the world, with the creation of associations in several countries. In Brazil, the audited certification process is 29 years old and is currently carried out by the Instituto de Certificação Biodinâmica (IBD). The Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), originating from the organic movement, has as diffusers the Biodynamic Agriculture Association and the Association of Biodynamic Farmers of the South. Conclusion: IBD moves away from the Biodynamic movement, embracing the different labels that meet the new food trends, acquiring a more entrepreneurial character, and abandoning the principles by which it was founded. The GSP is promising when it merges the legitimacy of the standard with more personal relationships allowing the exchange of knowledge among members, this ability to exchange knowledge brings it closer to the roots of the Biodynamic movement.