Land as a Commons | Nikolai Fuchs | TEDxZurich

Soil today is in significant danger though compaction, building development, desertification, erosion and building development. In most western countries we have associated private land ownership with the best possible land stewardship. But, as recent developments show, this is not always true. Instead, land can also be regarded as a common good. Common goods are governed by all stakeholders involved. How can we as consumers take responsibility for the soil/land? The world acreage divided by the world population gives 2.000 square meters per person. A land ownership cooperative model allows consumers to pool money in order to buy land, to treat it as a commons and placing it in the hands of farmers for example for organic agriculture – enabling a gradual shift to sustainable land stewardship. Nikolai, born 1963, is a trained a studied farmer and agronomist. After having been an advisor for 120 farms he became the director of the biodynamic research center in Germany and the head of the international agricultural section at the Goetheanum, Dornach (Switzerland). He was also the head of the Brussels office of Demeter International, as well as the president of Nexus Foundation in Geneva. Currently, he is the co-director of GLS Treuhand in Germany, as well as a member of the supervisory council of BioBoden cooperative and a board member of BioHöfe Foundation. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx