This paper is on coaching farmers in (re)designing a farm. It describes how farmers can become in... more This paper is on coaching farmers in (re)designing a farm. It describes how farmers can become inspired to design a sustainable farm by the way medical doctors look at the human being and his health. Sustainability in farm management is usually strived for in such a way that damage to People, Planet or Profit is prevented. However, preventing such damage does not automatically mean that humans, animals, rural societies, landscape, and nature can develop and manifest themselves to the full extent. Only in examples where the emphasis is on positive characteristics of and actions in farming, and where the approach is based on coherence between the three layers described (agricultural production, agri-culture, and the meaning of life and existence), we observe that all stakeholders can fully express themselves. This approach is comparable with the positive way in which the World Health Organization describes human health, distinguishing three different layers of health: physical health, socio-cultural health, and mental health. Applying the metaphor of the healthy human enables us to ask relevant questions as to how to achieve farm health. The power of the metaphor of the living human lies in the possibility to introduce the concepts of life lies in the possibility to introduce the concepts of life lies in the possibility to introduce the concepts of , the conscious direction, transformation and health in the process of (re)designing the farm organism. The living farm emerges under the direction of the farmer as a new entity in which the possibilities of the site, the societal and agro-ecological context and the people involved are all mutually fine-tuned. Only if all three interconnected layers of health (i.e., the physical, socio-cultural, and mental health) are equally addressed, true farm health, and, in our definition of farm health, also sustainability can be achieved. This paper does not address the issue of creating an absolutely healthy and sustainable farm but is about farm transformation and the art of development, step-by-step reshaping specific farm elements, thus allowing the entire farm to become healthier.
Organic production methods have in the past been shown to have benefits for the environment, biod... more Organic production methods have in the past been shown to have benefits for the environment, biodiversity, soil quality, animal welfare and reduced pesticide residues. In addition to these qualities they may also contribute directly to human health. In an exploratory study, raw (bulk) cow's milk from five organic and five neighbouring conventional farms were compared at the end of the winter housing period. Farm management clearly differed; e.g. organic cows ate less concentrates and forage maize, and more silage of grass clover and hay. The levels of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) and omega 3 fatty acids were significantly higher in the organic milk. No clear difference in taste was observed: the organic milk was generally considered creamier and tended to taste more of hay and grass than conventional milk. An indication of the health status of the cows was obtained by immunological research. In the organic milk the lymphocyte rest value tended to be lower and after stimulation the cells from organic milk had a higher stimulation index than those in conventional milk. In addition to the more conventional milk analysis two experimental holistic methods were used as an indicator of milk quality: biophoton emission and biocrystallization. These methods showed that organic milk was systematically more 'balanced': it had a more 'ordered structure' and showed better 'integration and coordination'. From this pilot study it can be concluded that overall the organic milk scored better than the conventional milk for both the conventional and holistic measures. Whether these results have an impact on human health needs to be explored in other studies.
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Papers by Joke Bloksma