Brief insights into some of the working groups at the WGA Forum in Sekem. Anyone interested in working on one of these topics can get in touch via the World Goetheanum Association (WGA). Many thanks to everyone who contributed to making this forum possible.
Active Will for Peace
Egypt borders Israel and Gaza. While we were meeting in beautiful Sekem, millions of people were suffering every day in fear of death, losing their homes, places of residence, work, friends, relatives, health—many even their lives. There is definitely nothing worse—for nature, for the Earth, for the climate and life, for ourselves and all fellow creatures—than war. After the terrible experiences of the twentieth century, no one disputes this. With this as a backdrop, how can we explain the return of war? Not only are the number, intensity, and duration of wars increasing again, but public thinking, speech, feelings, and actions are also becoming increasingly belligerent. Arms companies, stocks, and budgets are booming like never before. Even children and young people are being recruited for the business of killing. With this as a backdrop, the tender seed of a new initiative was planted with the help of Silke Schwarz, David Martin, and Gerald Häfner. It’s been developing further since Sekem. Its goal is to go beyond conventional boundaries and disciplines and to counter the logic of exclusion, rejection, aggression, and confrontation with one of balance, understanding, dialogue, and cooperation.—Gerald Häfner
Demeter Textile Standards
Naturetex has been the first company to produce organic and biodynamic cotton products for several decades and export them worldwide. Biodynamic dyes have also been developed since 2025 in collaboration with a partner enterprise in Turkey. Naturetex is currently also working on upcycling in order to use as much of the harvested cotton as possible. Remei, represented by Simon Hohmann, has also been a pioneer in the field of organic cotton for several decades and produces in Tanzania and India. Participants from projects in India participated in the working group. A diverse group of people came together, united in their endeavor to operate holistically, socially, and with a focus on the future. Key issues for this working group were the current status of the Demeter textile standards. These are only partially complete and still under development. Furthermore, the discussion proceeded on the possible simplification of these standards or the expansion of existing standards to make it possible to implement them sooner. We also exchanged ideas about possible collaboration with development and technical issues, as well as cultural and social topics—an exchange that was perceived as greatly enriching and not something to be taken for granted in economic life.—Konstanze AbouleIsh
Paths to a New Economy
Initiatives like those in India by Benita Shaw with approximately 150,000 farmers, or SACDEP [Sustainable Agriculture Community Development Program] in Kenya with over 10,000 female farmers, or now in Egypt where there’ll soon be approximately 40,000 farmers cultivating their land biodynamically, show us three essential benefits: This method of cultivation is more economical, creates more community (group resilience), and is healthier for everyone involved, including nature. At the same time, in many parts of the world, especially in Africa, we’re seeing the continued industrialization of agriculture and a further concentration of land ownership among foreign investors. Who wants to help raise awareness of the decades of experience gained with biodynamic farming, especially in areas where people and future generations want to be self-sufficient? The Demeter Association in Egypt offers guided tours for delegations in this regard.—Hend Hany & Naglaa Ahmed
World Goetheanum Association Africa
Why are there no projects similar to Sekem in other African countries? Ever since the criteria for the Economy of Love were written down, there has been a clear basis for a holistic understanding of the Sekem idea. This inspired Mohammed and his team in Morocco, for example, to establish Homeland Morocco as a village initiative in the municipality of Ourtzagh, in the province of Taounate. The Sekem team answered questions from the African participants. About a year ago, WGA Africa was launched under the leadership of Verena Maasdorp (a former biodynamic farmer from Krumhuk, Namibia). Its aim is to connect enterprises with interests in sustainable development on the continent.—Verena Maasdorp
Enter Dialogue Anew
The forum changed my perspective in some areas and encouraged me to explore new avenues in others. One of the key phrases for me was “accompanying the old system with dignity as it dies.” Even though I know from my work as a music therapist in palliative care units how important and essential it is to accompany dying with love and dignity, I’ve not yet made much progress in this area in my work as a sustainability researcher. What does it mean to accompany outdated systems such as patriarchy, postcolonial economy, and racism on their way to new visions and paths? Which systems can, should, or must go through a death process when it comes to sustainability and our future? How can we constantly remind and admonish ourselves that fighting against generations, other cultures, or even ideologies has never been a definitive solution? Instead, we need understanding, empathy, and concrete action—true to the motto of a Sekem employee: “We don’t fight against people—we invite them and show them what we do!” For me, this means, among other things, inviting my neighbors into my garden, serving biodynamic food, and thus being able to engage in concrete conversation—about sustainability, politics, and our common future.—Lin Bautze-Boeke
Working Group on Education
It was clear to everyone involved that education is essential for sustainable development. It became apparent that education is not just about imparting knowledge, but that it’s fundamentally about human development. Education must be approached from this viewpoint. This includes, for example, collaboration between teachers and learners on equal footing, and also strengthening individual resilience in the sense that learners can remain true to themselves despite all the uncertainty caused by the global situation.—Friederike Mainz
Scientific Experiments in India
At least since the 2007 World Agriculture Report, which hundreds of thousands of researchers worked on, we’ve known that organic farming is essential if we’re to overcome the challenges of climate change and health. The large-scale 2017 study on global food supply comes to even clearer conclusions: “Organic agriculture can only contribute to providing the population with sufficient food in 2050 while reducing the environmental impact of agriculture if it is implemented in a well-designed food system that takes into account animal feed rations and thereby also the number of animals and the consumption of animal products, as well as food waste.” I’m a researcher at FiBL (Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau, or the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture) and work in this area myself. Over the past eight years, I’ve had the opportunity to observe experimental fields as part of my work at SysCom India, itself a long-term experiment. Through collaboration with the local population, I’ve gained insights into the importance of soil fertility. The WGA Forum in Sekem touched me because it made me realize that even though many people think it’s “quarter past midnight,” we as humanity can all simultaneously expand our consciousness in such a way that human evolution is possible, enabling peaceful coexistence for us as a global community, including the Earth.—Christelle Ledroit
Papal Visit
On October 1, 2025, ten years after Pope Francis’s encyclical on environmental and climate protection, people gathered again in Rome for the Laudato Si Conference. They wanted to go one step further. Helmy Abouleish, Fabio Brescacin, and Marta Guglielmetti also participated. They made an offer to Pope Leo to convert the Catholic Church’s 177 million hectares of land to organic or biodynamic farming methods. One of the most important solutions for sustainable development is organic farming. By making this decision, the Laudato Si movement could improve the livelihoods of farmers, minimize climate change, and provide healthy food for consumers.—Andrea Valdinoci
Expedition Source—Leadership Program
In Sekem, the Executive Board of the new leadership program Expedition Source was formed—a collaboration between the World Goetheanum Association, NaturaSi, Ruskin Mill, the Goetheanum, and Sekem. Through dialogue with participants and by addressing their individual questions, the expedition aims to identify the leadership qualities that enable sustainable cultural impulses.
More World Goetheanum Association: Expedition Source, World Goetheanum Forum 2025
Contact association@worldgoetheaum.org
Translation Joshua Kelberman
Image Preparation team: Katharina Hofmann (left), Lin Bautze-Boeke, Johannes Kronenberg, Naglaa Ahmed, Andrea Validnoci, Helmy Abouleish. Photo: Samuel Knaus.
