The German Association for the Promotion of Biocyclic Vegan Agriculture, Förderkreis Biozyklisch-Veganer Anbau e.V., recently celebrated its 5th anniversary, raising awareness of the advantages of organic vegan farming.
Founded and based in Berlin, the “Förderkreis” collaborates with international partner organizations in the Biocyclic Vegan International network. Its goal is to provide education in German-speaking countries on farming without the use of commercial livestock, animal slaughter, chemical fertilizers, or animal inputs. Biocyclic Vegan Agriculture aims to establish a new human-animal relationship in the agricultural sector.
The German non-profit also advises gardeners and farmers on the practices that must be followed to obtain the IFOAM-accredited Biocyclic Vegan Standard. This label identifies the products as ‘vegan from the field’.
Over the past five years, the “Förderkreis” has made significant progress in raising awareness and visibility for this farming approach. It has organized conferences (Biocyclic Vegan Networking Conference) and panel discussions, participated in trade fairs (BIOFACH Trade Fair) and exhibitions, and campaigned for political support.
As vegan farming gains momentum, the organization’s efforts have been recognized with the Berlin Animal Welfare Prize in December 2022 and the inclusion of the Biocyclic Vegan Standard on the official platform, oekolandbau.de. The Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) operates this platform for organic farming standards.
Other accomplishments include receiving funding for two projects from the German Federal Environment Agency, which helped the non-profit improve its structure and create educational materials. These materials include an e-learning platform, a practice video, and a growers’ guide in German, recently launched in English by Biocyclic Vegan International.
Celebrating its 5th anniversary, the organization stated that it aims to build on its achievements by ensuring biocyclic vegan products reach the market and creating reliable sales channels.
Axel Anders, member of the “Förderkreis” board, shared: “We are proud of what the Förderkreis has achieved in the last five years. In the German-speaking countries, awareness of this sustainable and ethical farming approach has been significantly increased.
“The fact that the Biocyclic Vegan Standard has been included in the list of organic farming standards on the official platform oekolandbau.de, operated by the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), also shows that the Biocyclic Vegan Standard is being taken seriously as an IFOAM-approved stand-alone standard and that its potential for the organic sector is being recognised.”
As part of its anniversary celebration, the Förderkreis is offering new members the opportunity to join without paying the admission fee until December 31st, 2023.
The first-ever Veganic Summit took place online last week to share innovations on sustainable plant-based farming practices. The event was a collaborative effort between the Canadian-based Veganic Agriculture Network and Learn Veganic, along with global organizations the Vegan Organic Network, Certified Veganic, and Biocyclic Vegan Network.
