LANDBAUSCHULE DOTTENFELDERHOF GEMEINNUTZIGER VEREIN

Their core work

Landbauschule Dottenfelderhof is a non-profit biodynamic agricultural school and working farm located near Frankfurt, Germany. The organisation combines practical farming with education in biodynamic and organic agriculture, giving it hands-on field experience that academic institutions typically lack. In EU research, they contribute specialist knowledge on organic seed systems, heritage and orphan crop varieties, and the practical realities of integrating underused crops into sustainable food and feed value chains. Their involvement in projects like LIVESEED and CROPDIVA shows a consistent focus on agricultural biodiversity — both preserving it and finding commercially viable pathways for it.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early phase of their H2020 participation (LIVESEED, 2017-2021), Dottenfelderhof contributed to the conservation and improvement of organic seed systems — a foundational, production-focused concern. Their role was that of a third party, likely providing field expertise or training capacity rather than leading research. By the second project (CROPDIVA, 2021-2025), the focus had expanded to include market analysis and novel value chains alongside the core topic of agricultural biodiversity, and their standing upgraded to full participant with EC funding. The trajectory is clear: from pure agronomic practice toward integrated thinking about how heritage and orphan crops reach markets.

Dottenfelderhof is moving from field-level organic seed practice toward a broader role that includes assessing commercial and supply chain potential for underutilised crops — making them increasingly relevant to agri-food businesses and breed-to-market projects.

How they like to work

Dottenfelderhof has never coordinated an H2020 project, functioning instead as a specialist contributor embedded within large European consortia. Their shift from third-party to full participant between projects suggests growing recognition of their role within consortia, even if they remain a practitioner voice rather than a research lead. Consortium builders looking for a working biodynamic farm with credibility in organic and heritage crop systems would find them a practical, grounding presence in a project team.

Across two projects, Dottenfelderhof has been part of consortia totalling 75 unique partners spanning 21 countries — reflecting the large, pan-European nature of both LIVESEED and CROPDIVA. Their own direct network is likely narrower, centred on the organic and biodynamic farming community in Central Europe, but their project memberships give them exposure across a broad European research landscape.

What sets them apart

Dottenfelderhof occupies a rare position as both an educational institution and an active biodynamic farm, giving it practitioner credibility that pure research organisations cannot replicate. Their expertise in organic seed systems and orphan crops is grounded in decades of on-farm experience rather than laboratory work, which is precisely the applied knowledge gap that many EU agri-food research consortia need to fill. For a consortium working on sustainable food systems, agricultural biodiversity, or climate-resilient farming, they offer an authentic practitioner anchor in the German organic farming tradition.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CROPDIVA
  Their most substantive EU engagement — a funded participant role in a multi-country RIA on climate-resilient orphan crops, covering not just agronomy but market analysis and value chain development.
• LIVESEED
  Early involvement in one of the flagship European projects on organic seed and plant breeding, reflecting their recognised standing in the biodynamic and organic farming community even before holding a funded role.