From the "Bio-Modell Walsrode"....
When organic pioneer Adolf Hoops (1932-1999) leased in 1953 a horticultural operation in the Lunenburg Heath in order to cultivate it organically, he couldn’t have imagined that the knowledge and cultivation experience he gained there about soil fertility and mixed cultures would form the basis for Biocyclic Agriculture in Greece 50 years later. In the “Bio-Modell Walsrode”, as visitors called his operation, many generations of trainees and people who were interested in new approaches in agriculture had the chance to learn from Adolf Hoops about nature’s self-healing forces through mixed culture and about permanent plant coverage, raised beds and the use of wild herbs for fostering healthy humus-circles. That healthy soil gives plants a vital energy, which strengthens and promotes health of the human body. Years of nature observation in combination with the groundbreaking insights Hans Peter Rusch gave into the important role of physiological microorganisms of healthy soil, made Adolf Hops speaking years later often about “healing food” or “Natural food from healthy circles for the benefit of humans’ health and nature’s recovery”.
…to the elaboration of the Biocyclic Guidelines….
Crucial for the record and systematisation of his central ideas gained through years of experience in organic cultivation, research and training, was Adolf Hoops’ contact to Dr. agr. Johannes Eisenbach and his work in Greece. This led to the elaboration of the “Biocyclic Guidelines”, through which his ideas were adjusted to the conditions of the Mediterranean context. In 1995 Adolf Hoops and Johannes Eisenbach conducted cultivation trials south of Kalamata, which attracted people who were interested in the implementation of the biocyclic concept in organic agriculture, such as growers, who then got into organic cultivation, as well as students, trainees and agronomists, who now share the experiences they gained at the side of Adolf Hoops with more and more open-minded organic farmers in Greece. Through a number of research projects in cooperation with the Kalamata branch of the National Agricultural Research Foundation (Ν.AG.RE.F.) it was made possible to document the scientific basis of the Biocyclic method of cultivation.
…to the "Biocyclic-Vegan Standard"
In 1999 Johannes Eisenbach and Arne Hoops (the son of Adolf Hoops and for many years a board member of Bioland) elaborated the first edition of the “Biocyclic Guidelines” based on Adolf Hoops’ speeches and ideas about his “Biocyclic Guidelines for an organic agriculture based on vital circles taking into account the climatic conditions and the natural ecosystems of Greece”. The “Biocyclic Guidelines” formed the basis of a systematic cultivation consultancy described as “Biocyclic Standards”. Thus, the impulses given by Adolf Hoops and Johannes Eisenbach had a strong influence on the development of organic agriculture in Greece. Today about 80 small scale family driven organic operations all over the country are members of the growers’ organization “Panhellenic Biocyclic Vegan Network”. In a consultation process with the vegan organic community in Germany, the basically vegan approach of the Biocyclic Guidelines became more clearly elaborated, which led to the publication of the "Biocyclic Vegan Standard" in 2017. Since November 2017, this standard has been applicable worldwide as a standard for vegan organic farming accredited by IFOAM.
When organic pioneer Adolf Hoops (1932-1999) leased in 1953 a horticultural operation in the Lunenburg Heath in order to cultivate it organically, he couldn’t have imagined that the knowledge and cultivation experience he gained there about soil fertility and mixed cultures would form the basis for Biocyclic Agriculture in Greece 50 years later. In the “Bio-Modell Walsrode”, as visitors called his operation, many generations of trainees and people who were interested in new approaches in agriculture had the chance to learn from Adolf Hoops about nature’s self-healing forces through mixed culture and about permanent plant coverage, raised beds and the use of wild herbs for fostering healthy humus-circles. That healthy soil gives plants a vital energy, which strengthens and promotes health of the human body. Years of nature observation in combination with the groundbreaking insights Hans Peter Rusch gave into the important role of physiological microorganisms of healthy soil, made Adolf Hops speaking years later often about “healing food” or “Natural food from healthy circles for the benefit of humans’ health and nature’s recovery”.
…to the elaboration of the Biocyclic Guidelines….
Crucial for the record and systematisation of his central ideas gained through years of experience in organic cultivation, research and training, was Adolf Hoops’ contact to Dr. agr. Johannes Eisenbach and his work in Greece. This led to the elaboration of the “Biocyclic Guidelines”, through which his ideas were adjusted to the conditions of the Mediterranean context. In 1995 Adolf Hoops and Johannes Eisenbach conducted cultivation trials south of Kalamata, which attracted people who were interested in the implementation of the biocyclic concept in organic agriculture, such as growers, who then got into organic cultivation, as well as students, trainees and agronomists, who now share the experiences they gained at the side of Adolf Hoops with more and more open-minded organic farmers in Greece. Through a number of research projects in cooperation with the Kalamata branch of the National Agricultural Research Foundation (Ν.AG.RE.F.) it was made possible to document the scientific basis of the Biocyclic method of cultivation.
…to the "Biocyclic-Vegan Standard"
In 1999 Johannes Eisenbach and Arne Hoops (the son of Adolf Hoops and for many years a board member of Bioland) elaborated the first edition of the “Biocyclic Guidelines” based on Adolf Hoops’ speeches and ideas about his “Biocyclic Guidelines for an organic agriculture based on vital circles taking into account the climatic conditions and the natural ecosystems of Greece”. The “Biocyclic Guidelines” formed the basis of a systematic cultivation consultancy described as “Biocyclic Standards”. Thus, the impulses given by Adolf Hoops and Johannes Eisenbach had a strong influence on the development of organic agriculture in Greece. Today about 80 small scale family driven organic operations all over the country are members of the growers’ organization “Panhellenic Biocyclic Vegan Network”. In a consultation process with the vegan organic community in Germany, the basically vegan approach of the Biocyclic Guidelines became more clearly elaborated, which led to the publication of the "Biocyclic Vegan Standard" in 2017. Since November 2017, this standard has been applicable worldwide as a standard for vegan organic farming accredited by IFOAM.
