Friedrich-Wilhelm Graefe zu Baringdorf (born 29 November 1942 in

Spenge Spenge is a town in the district of Herford, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Geography Spenge is situated north of Bielefeld and west of Herford. It borders Lower Saxony in the west. Subdivisions Spenge consists of 5 subdivisions (population ...

) was

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

for the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

political party

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a Green politics, green List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens ...

, part of the

European Greens The European Green Party (EGP), also referred to as European Greens, is the European political party that represents national parties from across Europe who share Green values. The European Greens works closely with the Greens–European Free ...

, from 1984 to 1987 and 1989 to 2009, and from 1996 to 2012 chairperson of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (ABL), an association for peasant-based or family-farming in Germany. Graefe zu Baringdorf owns and operates the farm "Berninghof" in Baringdorf, a small ribbon-built village in the municipality

. The family farm traces its heritage back several centuries. In 1992, he converted the farm to ecological farming. Potatoes, bread cereals and vegetables grow on the fields, and pigs and chickens give meat and eggs. The produce is marketed primarily in the shop on the farm itself and via stands on street markets in

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...

and nearby Spenge.

References

External links

*
Website of Graefe zu Baringdorf's farm
1942 births Living people Alliance 90/The Greens politicians MEPs for Germany 2004–2009 Alliance 90/The Greens MEPs MEPs for Germany 1999–2004 German farmers Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany {{Alliance 90/The Greens