A panel conversation with Pereri King, Feya Marince, Diego Porras, and Anthoniselvi Savarimuthu

6 February, 17:00  |  Main Auditorium | Livestream

“Indigenous cultures show us what life truly means,” emphasizes Feya Marince, co-founder of the Indigenous Biodynamic Association of Africa. While industrial agriculture severed the connection to the Earth, indigenous cultures have preserved it. They view the Earth as a living being, not merely a resource. Biodynamic agriculture shares this perspective. In this discussion, Pereri King, a practitioner of the Māori healing tradition, Rongoā, Anthoniselvi Savarimuthu, a biodynamic farmer and educator from India, and other guests share their experiences and traditions.

The original language is English. You can borrow a receiver at the information desk to listen to this event in Chinese, French, German, Italian, or Spanish.

Pereri King

Pereri King is a practitioner of Rongoā, a Māori worldview on healing that promotes vitality by acknowledging the connections between things in nature and their genealogical relationships through the characteristics of nature. Using traditional Māori practices of personifying nature and its phenomena, Pereri is dedicated to guiding people to the intrinsic connections they already have with nature through music, food, spirit, and storytelling. He is connected with Hōhepa Hawkes Bay, a community supporting people with disabilities in New Zealand, inspired by anthroposophy. Hōhepa has two biodynamic farms with a full dairy operation, a native tree nursery, and vegetable production.

Feya Marince

Feya Marince is a co-founder and board member of the Indigenous Biodynamic Association of Africa (IBAA) and member of the Training of Trainers (TOT) group in Africa. She is empowering communities in biodynamic farming and a professional nurse practitioner from South Africa passionate about nutrition, health and well-being.

Anthoniselvi Savarimuthu

Anthoniselvi, from Tamil Nadu’s Kadavur Valley, holds a diploma in Organic and Biodynamic Agriculture and a degree in English Literature. She has furthered her expertise through courses in Biodynamic practices, Nutrition, Biodynamic Food Quality, and Animal Health at the Goetheanum. With over a decade of experience, she’s worked in BD Preparation Making, Organic Milk Production, Agriculture Extension, and Solid Waste Management. As an active member of the Biodynamic Association of India, she trains farming groups across Asia, participates in IFOAM Asia’s Youth Forum.

Diego Fernando Porras Marulanda 

Diego was born in Colombia into a family with a coffee farming heritage. He is now a sustainable agroecological specialty coffee producer in Mexico, supporting organized small-scale coffee farmers in transitioning from local agriculture to international markets. Diego studied Industrial Engineering in Colombia and Social Anthropology in Mexico. In Canada, he co-founded La Tierra Co-op, a coffee roastery that became part of Cooperative Coffees, and Umi-Café, a coffee shop. During this time, he was actively involved in social entrepreneurship, organic production, Fairtrade, and cooperative initiatives. He has contributed to innovating and developing alternative business models rooted in indigenous principles of respect for the Earth and its people. Diego owns Finca Sol Nocturno, an international associative economy initiative connecting responsible production in Mexico with conscious consumers in Germany. He is also an active member of “Impulso Biodinámico de México.”