Published July 1, 2014 | Version Published
Journal article Open

Lord Northbourne, the man who invented organic farming, a biography

Creators

  • 1. University of Tasmania

Description

It was Lord Northbourne (Walter James; 1896-1982) who gifted to the world the term ‘organic farming’. His 1940 book Look to the Land is a manifesto of organic agriculture. In it he mooted a contest of “organic versus chemical farming” which he foresaw as a clash of world views that may last for generations. Northbourne’s ideas were foundational in launching the worldwide organics movement, and the book was a turning point in his own life. This biography relies on primary sources to draw a picture of Lord Northbourne. He was a very shy man, a talented artist, a capable linguist, a keen sportsman and an Olympic silver medallist, a graduate and lecturer in agriculture of the University of Oxford, a lifelong farmer, he was profoundly spiritual, an accomplished author, and as a wordsmith he could be a compelling advocate for his cause as Look to the Land shows. His interest in biodynamics led him to visit Switzerland in 1939 to invite the leading advocate of the times, Dr Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, to present the first conference on biodynamic farming in Britain, and it was in the following year that Look to the Land appeared. Rather than the mechanics or the practices of organics, Northbourne’s book presents the philosophy, the rationale, and the imperative of organic farming. The ideas of his organics manifesto took on a life of their own and were quickly spread globally, with early uptakes in the USA and Australia. Meanwhile, while maintaining lifelong interests and commitments to agriculture and education, Northbourne became progressively more engaged with spiritual matters, and his subsequent writings reflect his growing interest in metaphysics. He translated books by leading perennialist authors Frithjof Schuon, René Guénon, and Titus Burckhardt. Northbourne led a full life, but it is Look to the Land that is his enduring ideological legacy. This biography examines: firstly, the book, its ideas, history, uptake and impact; secondly, Northbourne’s life before Look to the Land; and thirdly, his life after Look to the Land.

Notes

"He was a man of great vision, decisiveness, quiet humour and kindly authority … who brought to every facet of his widely ranging life a rare sense of harmony and balanced purpose. Above all he was a widely read man of very considerable scholarship with deep philosophical understanding … He was a man of great faith and rare belief who saw 'through a glass darkly' so much more than is given to most of us to see and experience" Duncan Skilbeck (1983, pp.78-79).

Files

Paull2014.Northbourne.JO.pdf

Files (669.0 kB)

Name Size Download all
md5:ad5cf74b8f51225cdbd656ad9ab0ea93
669.0 kB Preview Download

Additional details

References

  • Balfour, E. B. (1943). The Living Soil: Evidence of the importance to human health of soil vitality, with special reference to post-war planning. London: Faber and Faber.
  • BFA. (2010). Australian Certified Organic Standard 2010 - Version: 1.0. Brisbane: Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA).
  • Blackburn, J. S. (Ed.). (1949). Organic Husbandry, A Symposium. London: Biotechnic Press.
  • Brander, M. (2003). Eve Balfour: Founder of the Soil Association & The Voice of the Organic Movement, A Biography. Haddington, UK.
  • Burckhardt, T. (1967). Sacred Art in East and West: Its Principles and Methods (Lord Northbourne, Trans.). London: Perennial Books.
  • Burnham, P. (2007). The College at Wye: A Historical Guide. Wye: Wye Historical Society.
  • Charles, D. (2005). Master Mind: The rise and fall of Fritz Haber, the Nobel laureate who launched the age of chemical warfare. New York: Ecco, HarperCollins Publishers.
  • Conford, P. (2001). The Origins of the Organic Movement. Edinburgh: Floris Books.
  • Conford, P. (2002). Finance versus Farming: Rural Reconstruction and Economic Reform, 1894-1955. Rural History, 13(2), 225-241.
  • Craig, E. S., & Gibson, W. M. (Eds.). (1920). Oxford University Roll of Service. Oxford: Clarendon Press, Oxford University Press.
  • Douglas, F. C. R. (1946). Memorandum and Articles of Association of The Soil Association, Ltd. 12 pp.; London: F. C. R. Douglas, Solicitor.
  • Gardiner, R. (1943). England Herself: Ventures in Rural Restoration. London: Faber and Faber Ltd.
  • Guénon, R. (1953). The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times (Lord Northbourne trans. from the 1945 French original). London: Luzac & Company.
  • Hammerton, J. (Ed.). (1940). The War Illustrated v.3 No.45. London: The War Illustrated.
  • Hardy, E. (1965). The Right Hon. Lord Northbourne. Wye: The Journal of the Agricola Club and Swanley Guild, 6(2), 20-21.
  • Harkness, D. A. E. (1945). A Tract on Agricultural Policy. London: P. S. King and Staples Limited.
  • Hicks, C. S. (1945). Soil, Food and Life (The Annie B. Cunning Lectures on Nutrition, No. 3, University of Melbourne). [Melbourne]: The Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
  • Hobson, S. G. (1936). Functional Socialism. London: Stanley Nott.
  • Hobson, S. G. (1938). Pilgrim to the Left - Memoirs of a Modern Revolutionist. London: Edward Arnold & Co.
  • Howard, A., & Wad, Y. D. (1931). The Waste Products of Agriculture: Their Utilization as Humus. Bombay: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press.
  • Howard, L. E. (1954). Sir Albert Howard in India. Emmaus,PA: Rodale Press.
  • Hutchins, R. (1993). Well Rowed Magdalen: A History of Magdalen College Boat Club 1859-1993. Oxford: Magdalen College.
  • Huxley, A. (1946). The Perennial Philosophy. London: Chatto & Windus.
  • IFOAM. (2006). Principles of Organic Agriculture. Bonn: International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
  • ISIS. (1921). ISIS Idol: W.E.C. James (Magdalen) (President, O.U.B.C., 1920-1921). The Isis (556), 3.
  • Jackson, C. (1974). J. I. Rodale: Apostle of Nonconformity. New York: Pyramid Books.
  • James, C. (2008). Introduction. In C. James & J. A. Fitzgerald (Eds.). Of the Land & the Spirit: The Essential Lord Northbourne on Ecology and Religion. Bloomington, IN: World Wisdom.
  • James, C., & Fitzgerald, J. A. (Eds.). (2008). Of the Land & the Spirit: The Essential Lord Northbourne on Ecology and Religion. Bloomington, IN: World Wisdom.
  • James, W. E. C. (1919). MS handwritten form: Candidate for Matriculation. Oxford: University of Oxford Archives, UR1/1/71.
  • Jovanovic, C. (2014). Wye Campus. London: Imperial College.
  • King, F. H. (1911). Farmers of Forty Centuries, or Permanent Agriculture in China, Korea and Japan (Edited by Professor J.P. Bruce). Madison, Wisconsin: Mrs. F. H. King.
  • Koepf, H. H. (1991). Ehrenfried Pfeiffer: Pioneer in Agriculture and Natural Sciences. Kimberton, USA: Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association Inc.
  • Lings, M., & Minnaar, C. (Eds.). (2007). The Underlying Religion: An introduction to the Perennial Philosophy. Bloomington, IN: World Wisdom, Inc.
  • Lockeretz, W. (Ed.). (2007). Organic Farming: An International History. Wallingford, UK: CABI.
  • Lymington, Viscount (1943). Alternative to Death: The Relationship between Soil, Family and Community. London: Faber and Faber.
  • Mackenzie, M. (1922). Spiritual Values in Education & Social Life (Conference programme; 8 pp.). Oxford: Oxford Holiday Conference, August 15th to 29th.
  • Magdalen College. (1922). The Magdalen College Register (1922). Oxford: Magdalen College, Oxford University.
  • Massingham, H. J. (1941). Introduction. In H. J. Massingham, England and the Farmer (pp. 1-11). London: B. T. Batsford.
  • Massingham, H. J. (Ed.). (1945). The Natural Order: Essays in the Return to Husbandry. London: J.M. Dent & Sons.
  • Mitchell, E. (1946). Soil and Civilization. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
  • Morrow, E. (1984). A History of Swanley Horticultural College. Wye, Kent.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1934). School-Leaving Age. Hansard, 93, 484-486.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1938c). A Plain Approach to World Economy. The Present Age, May, 3(5), 51-59.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1939a). The Betteshanger Summer School. News Sheet of the Bio-Dynamic Method of Agriculture, 9, 8-11.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1940a). Look to the Land. London: Dent.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1940d). Where is the food to come from? In Three Addresses on Food Production in Relation to Economic Reform (pp. 3-9). London: The Economic Reform Club and Institute.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1942a). Farm Management (Fertility and Health) (A 'Kinship in Husbandry' meeting; Oxford; 1/3/1942; pp.4-7; Typescript; Bryant E51, Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, Kings College, London). Merton College, Oxford.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1945). Health and Fertility. In H. J. Massingham, The Natural Order: Essays in the Return to Husbandry by Fourteen Writers (pp. 111-119). London: J.M. Dent & Sons.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1947). Wye College 1447-1947. Wye: Wye College.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1948). Let Us Get Back to Earth. Bio-Dynamics, 7(1), 31-32.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1949). Peasant Farming in the Dordogne Valley. Wye, The Journal of the Wye College Association, 1(2), 4-8.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1950). Foreword. In P. Oyler (Ed.), The Generous Earth (pp. 9-15). London: Hodder and Stoughton.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1963). Religion in the Modern World. London: J. M. Dent & Sons.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1964a). Book Reviews: Physique Moderne et Realite by Maurice Ollivier, Les Editions du Cédre, Paris. Tomorrow, Journal of Parapsychology, Cosmology and Traditional Studies, 12(4), 329-331.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1964b). Pictures of the universe. Tomorrow, Journal of Parapsychology, Cosmology and Traditional Studies, 12(4), 267-278.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1965). Religion and Science (Fellowship Lecture, Occasional Publication No. 13). Wye, Kent: Wye College, London University.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1967). With God all things are possible. Studies in Comparative Religion 1(3), 99-104.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1970b). Looking Back on Progress. London: Perennial Books.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1973a). A note on Truth, Beauty and Goodness. Studies in Comparative Religion, 7(2), 107-112.
  • Northbourne, Lord. (1974b). The New Eschatology. Studies in Comparative Religion, 8(1), 33-39.
  • Paull, J. (2006). The farm as organism: the foundational idea of organic agriculture. Journal of Bio- Dynamics Tasmania, (80), 14-18.
  • Paull, J. (2008). The lost history of organic farming in Australia. Journal of Organic Systems, 3(2), 2-17.
  • Paull, J. (2010). From France to the World: The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). Journal of Social Research & Policy, 1(2), 93-102.
  • Paull, J. (2011a). Attending the first organic agriculture course: Rudolf Steiner's Agriculture Course at Koberwitz, 1924. European Journal of Social Sciences, 21(1), 64-70.
  • Paull, J. (2011b). The Betteshanger Summer School: Missing link between biodynamic agriculture and organic farming. Journal of Organic Systems, 6(2), 13-26.
  • Paull, J. (2011c). Biodynamic Agriculture: The journey from Koberwitz to the World, 1924-1938. Journal of Organic Systems, 6(1), 27-41.
  • Paull, J. (2011d). The making of an agricultural classic: Farmers of Forty Centuries or Permanent Agriculture in China, Korea and Japan, 1911-2011. Agricultural Sciences, 2(3), 175-180.
  • Paull, J. (2011e). Rudolf Steiner and the Oxford Conference: The birth of Waldorf education in Britain. European Journal of Educational Studies, 3(1), 53-66.
  • Paull, J. (2011f). The secrets of Koberwitz: The diffusion of Rudolf Steiner's Agriculture Course and the founding of Biodynamic Agriculture. Journal of Social Research & Policy, 2(1), 19-29.
  • Paull, J. (2012). Organics Olympiad 2012: Global Indices of Leadership in Organic Agriculture. Organic News, 26 July, 2 August, 9 August.
  • Paull, J. (2013). A history of the organic agriculture movement in Australia. In B. Mascitelli & A. Lobo (Eds.). Organics in the Global Food Chain (pp. 37-60). Ballarat: Connor Court Publishing.
  • Payne, V. (1971). A History of the Soil Association (MA thesis). Manchester: University of Manchester.
  • Pfeiffer, E. (1938). Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening: Soil Fertility Renewal and Preservation (F. Heckel, Trans.). New York: Anthroposophic Press.
  • Pfeiffer, E. (1938). Soil Fertility, Renewal & Preservation: Biodynamic Farming and Gardening (1947 edition; first thus with the original title and subtitle interchanged). London: Faber and Faber.
  • Pfeiffer, E. (1983). Bio-Dynamic Gardening and Farming (Vol. 1). Spring Valley, New York: Mercury Press.
  • Pfeiffer, E. E. (1952). The organic-chemical controversy in agriculture. Bio-Dynamics, X(3), 2-19.
  • Pollan, M. (2006). The Omnivore's Dilemma: The Search for a Perfect Meal in a Fast-Food World. London: Bloomsbury.
  • Portsmouth, Earl of (1965). A Knot of Roots. London: Geoffrey Bles.
  • Richards, S. (1994). Wye College and its World: A Centenary History. Wye: Wye College Press.
  • Rodale, J. I. (Ed.). (1942). Organic Farming and Gardening. Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale Press, 1(1):1-16.
  • Rowe, R. (1944). The Economic Reform Club and Institute, What it is - and What it does. London: Economic Reform Club and Institute.
  • Schmitt, C. B. (1966). Perennial Philosophy: From Agostino Steuco to Leibniz. Journal of the History of Ideas, 27(4), 505-532.
  • Schumacher, E. F. (1973). Small is Beautiful: A study of economics as if people mattered. London: Blond & Briggs.
  • Schuon, F. (1965). Light on the Ancient Worlds (Lord Northbourne, Trans.). London: Perennial Books.
  • Scofield, A. M. (1986). Organic farming - the origin of the name. Biological Agriculture and Horticulture, 4, 1-5.
  • Silver, L. M. (2006). Challenging Nature: The Clash of Science and Spirituality at the New Frontiers of Life. New York: HarperCollins.
  • Skilbeck, D. (1983). Lord Northbourne. Wye: The Journal of the Agricola Club and Swanley Guild, 12(1), 78-79.
  • Smil, V. (2001). Enriching the Earth: Fritz Haber, Carl Bosch, and the Transformation of World Food Production. Cambridge, USA: The MIT Press.
  • Steiner, R. (1924). Agriculture Course ("Printed for private circulation only"; 1929, first English language edition; George Kaufmann Trans). Dornach, Switzerland: Goetheanum.
  • Wachsmuth, G. (1989). The Life and Work of Rudolf Steiner (O. D. Wannamaker & R. E. Raab, Trans. 2nd edition; first published in German 1941). Blauvert, NY: Spiritual Science Library.
  • Werner, U. (1999). Anthroposophen in der Zeit der Nationalsozialismus 1933-1945. Muenchen: Verlag R. Oldenberg.
  • Willer, H., & Lernoud, J. (Eds.). (2014). The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics and Emerging Trends 2014: Frick, Switzerland: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) & Bonn: International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
  • Wrench, G. T. (1946). Reconstruction by Way of the Soil. London: Faber and Faber.