The "Naturland - Verband für naturgemäßen Landbau e.V." with its headquarters in the municipality of Gräfelding near Munich (Bavaria, Germany) was founded in 1982 with the aim of promoting organic farming; since 1986 also internationally. The organisation's activities now include organic food production, organic forestry and aquaculture, social and fair trade guidelines, as well as textile production and cosmetics. The purpose is to protect the environment and preserve the natural basis of life through a natural way of farming in all areas of agriculture (and thus also viticulture) without the use of genetic engineering through 100% organic and fair agriculture worldwide.
Certified farmers and processing companies must work and produce according to Naturland standards. Consumers are given a guarantee for the organic products they buy. The standards are stricter than the legal requirements of the EU Organic Regulation. Naturland has had additional social guidelines in place since 2005, which are used to check the social conditions of employees involved in the production and processing of products as part of the certification process. All guidelines apply to producers as well as to the processing of all products and are regularly audited. The guidelines are based on a holistic, system-orientated approach and must be fully complied with from the producer to the point of sale in the shops. If the test results are positive, the products may bear the Naturland organic seal (three stylised green leaves forming an "N").
Since 2010, fair certification has also been offered, with which one becomes a "Naturland Fair Partner". Naturland is organised into a federal association and regional offices in all German states. In 2024, there were around 4,700 Naturland farms in Germany, cultivating around 290,000 hectares of agricultural land. Worldwide, there are around 140,000 farms. The association is accredited by IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) and other important organisations. In 1993, a co-operation agreement was concluded with the VDP and a "Naturland Wine Association" was founded. For viticulture, see also Organic Viticulture and Organic Wine.
Logos: Naturland
