North American Biodynamic Apprenticeship Program > Program Structure

The North American Biodynamic Apprenticeship Program (NABDAP) provides structure, breadth and depth to a beginning farmer's training while allowing the flexibility to pursue individual interests. Each apprentice must fulfill the requirements of the program to achieve certification, but they do so at the farms and training centers of their choice. The structural elements of the program include on-the-job training and classroom learning, as well as ongoing support.

On-farm Training:

NABDAP apprentices complete 24 months of on-farm training at their choice of participating mentor farms, all of which have a strong educational focus. Mentor Farmers are not simply looking for seasonal help on their farm. They are educators, committed to training the next generation of farmers. Mentor farms are both organic and biodynamic — apprentices are required to spend at least one year of their on-farm training on biodynamic farms. All of the mentor farms work with the same curriculum components:

• Skills Checklists: Apprentices and mentor farmers use the Skills Checklists (PDF) to keep track of the skills apprentices are acquiring during their on-farm training, some of which must be mastered in order to achieve certification through the program. The checklists allow apprentices and mentor farmers to establish clear learning objectives, and they become a universally-understood transcript within the network of mentor farms.
• Farm Journal: Apprentices keep a journal during the course of the on-farm training, recording observations of weather and farm conditions as well as daily work completed on the farm. This serves as a valuable record of time spent on the farm to refer to in future years, and helps apprentices build observation skills. In regular meetings with trainees, mentor farmers review the journals and make suggestions for their improvement.
• Farm Visits: Apprentices participate in at least six field days at other biodynamic and organic farms in the region to broaden their on-farm experience.
• Independent Project: In the second year of on-farm training, apprentices design and execute an independent project on the farm with guidance from the mentor farmer and regional coordinator.

Classroom Study:

NABDAP apprentices also complete the participating classroom study program of their choice. Each program is a series of weekend workshops and/or one- or two-week intensives covering specific subjects related to agriculture and to the worldview from which biodynamic agriculture has developed. At a minimum, each course covers:

1) The Human World

• The constitution of the human being
• The threefold social organism and associative economics
• The evolution of humanity and the earth
• Paths of inner development

2) The Biological World

• Plants
• Animals
• Ecology
• The biodynamic preparations and the farm individuality

3) The Physical World

• Geology and soils
• Climate and weather
• Astronomy and planting calendars
• Greenhouses and farm machinery

Ongoing Support:

NABDAP apprentices have a phone conference with the Central Coordinator, Thea Maria Carlson, at least once per season to discuss their progress and future plans within the program.  Regional Coordinators are also available as an additional source of support for apprentices during on-farm training. They are able to point trainees towards additional conferences and workshops in the region and connect them to other local farmers whose operations might interest them. Regional coordinators are available to meet with apprentices during the season, and can serve as mediators for any conflicts that might arise between an apprentice and their mentor farmer.

Program Finances >