Access To Land
Buschberghof used to be a family-owned biodynamic farm. In 1968, it was converted in a community-land trust (gGmbH). The objectives of this community land trust are prevent the soil from becoming a commodity and the farm from being indebted. The farm is rent to farmers who agree to meet 3 preconditions: farming biodynamically, not selling any piece of farmland, not putting the farm in debts.
Buschberghof is one of the pioneer community land trusts, which developed in Germany in the 1970s to ensure biodynamic farming in perpetuity.
Today, the farm is still a biodynamic farm producing vegetables, cereals, bread, milk, yoghurt, butter, cheese, meat (beef, pork, lamb), eggs. It employs about 12 people on 90 hectares. It is home to 5 families and a care home for disabled adults who live and work on the farm.
The farm sales 100% of its produce to consumers through a community supported agriculture scheme involving about 90 households. Every year, the farmers present a provisional budget for the year to come and the households make pledges according to their financial capacities. If the expenses are not met, the budget has to be cut or additional pledges found. Households then get food from the farm according to their needs. The quantity of products per household has nothing to do with their contribution to the budget. A single piece of food has no price (but in 2009/10, the overall production amounted to 330 000€).
Further reading:
Case study: Buschberghof CSA, a multifunctional farm successful for more than 20 years, 2010, on Forum Synergies website (also in French)
