Ethics in the Organic Movement - Re-Thinking Organic Food and Farming in a Changing World - page 26

journal, entitled “Culture and Policy (Kultur und Politik),” publicized his political
convictions, and he led the Swiss farmer-home-movement that was founded on
Christian-based responsibility for nature and consumers (Vogt 2001 ). In summary,
the Müllers contributed to the ecological and health related ethics in the current
organic movement, as well as to the initial thinking about the value of fairness and
care in agriculture.
The natural scientist and medical doctor, Hans Peter Rusch (1906-1977),
provided the scientific evidence for the Müller's organic-biological agriculture
approach. He highlighted the use of organisms for their contribution to the cycle of
living substances, including soil and compost organisms, and the microbiological
activity of soils (Rusch 1968 ). Rusch understood biology as a holistic guiding
science, expressing what he called the “biological reason” or “the result of processes
which include all of which comprises our entire being; not only logic, but our
cognitive, mental and bodily being, our character, as well as instinct and intuition”
(Patzel 2010 , p. 271). In short, Rusch provided the ethical background for the
ecological and health related principles of today's organic movement. From an
ecological perspective, he comment that, “life is a unified whole, where every part
is of equal value and given equal rights, regardless if it is a simple organisms or
humans” (Rusch 1968 , p. 34) illustrating his contribution to the IFOAM Principle
of Fairness.
Aldo Leopold (1884-1948), a US ecologist and forester, introduced the concept
of a land ethic to capture the idea that all beings are interdependent parts of
“ecological communities” (Callicott 1992 ). He highlighted the community, not the
individual, as a value of the common good. 21 To realize such a society, Leopold
identified the importance of a rational and sensitive process based on changing our
“land ethic” from one of conqueror, to one of being a mutually respectful community
member and citizen (Thompson 1988 ). Leopold's land ethic enlarges the boundaries
of community to include soil, water, plants and animals, or collectively - the land.
To Leopold, land was a community and the basic concept of ecology. The land ethic
was to love and respect the land (Leopold 1949 ).
A land ethic in Leopold's eyes could not be forced. Society needed to realize
that it possesses a land ethic. According to Leopold, this ethic should reflect the
existence of an ecological conscience that, in turn would reflect a conviction of
individual responsibility for the health of the land (Leopold 1949 ). Such an ethic
could be promoted through higher education and governmental support.
The land ethic has been predominantly embraced by the environmental move-
ment, and is tied logically to agrarianism. 22 Leopold's ecological perspective
contributed to understanding the human-nature relationship. His ethic went beyond
21 This contrasts with Steiner's view of individuality as a precondition for community.
22 “Agrarianism—the celebration of agriculture and rural life for the positive impact thereof on
the individual and society...” (Danbom 1991 ,p.1)(seealso:Oren 1973 ; Flinn and Johnson 1974 ;
Chase 1988 ; Montmarquet 1989 ; Dalecki and Coughenour 1992 ).