© Sabine Rübensaat, Bauernzeitung
BIOLAND
Clear water, clear attitude - an organic farm with vision!
Protecting groundwater, rethinking land management: Wassergut Canitz GmbH in the central Muldental valley shows how organic farming actively contributes to securing drinking water supplies — with diverse crop rotations, animal welfare-friendly husbandry, and a clear focus on prevention (with regard to groundwater quality) rather than post-treatment.
Ecological agriculture with impact
Since 1992, Wassergut Canitz GmbH (WGC), a subsidiary of Leipziger Wasserwerke, has been cultivating around 880 hectares of arable and grassland in the drinking water protection areas near Leipzig – entirely in accordance with the principles of organic farming. The aim is to permanently reduce the pollution of groundwater through adapted sustainable land management and to stabilize it at a low level.
The farm is not only certified organic. It has also been a member of Bioland since 2004. Treating the basic elements of life – air, water, and soil – with care is a central goal of Bioland. Chemical synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are therefore consistently avoided. This protects the groundwater. Instead, the farm relies on humus-increasing plants, diverse crop rotations, catch crops, and soil-conserving cultivation methods. These measures improve the soil structure, increase water storage capacity, and make a measurable contribution to protecting the underlying drinking water resources.
Dr Bernhard Wagner
Animal husbandry as part of the closed cycle
From May to October, around 80 suckler cows and their offspring graze on species-rich grassland. In winter, they are kept in open stables with deep litter. Their feed comes exclusively from the farm itself. Organic fertilization with self-produced manure and various green manure plants ensures that the soil is sustainably nourished, without the need for external mineral nutrients.
This form of animal husbandry not only ensures a high level of animal welfare, but also contributes to the preservation and promotion of biodiversity on the sensitive pastures, which are located 100% in a Natura 2000 area and a European bird sanctuary. Like all Bioland farms, the farm thus protects biodiversity, a supporting pillar of our ecosystems.
Protecting water - with water conservation-orientated organic farming
What makes the WGC's work special is its consistent focus on groundwater protection. The farmland is located entirely within the Canitz/Thallwitz and Naunhof drinking water protection areas. These areas are particularly sensitive. The water that seeps into the ground here later flows from the taps in the city of Leipzig and its surrounding area. Approximately 700,000 people enjoy this precious liquid every day.
Thanks to water protection-oriented organic farming, nitrate levels in the groundwater have fallen significantly – a success achieved not through technical treatment, but through the agricultural precautionary principle. The WGC thus stands for a model that combines precaution and sustainability in practice.
Real-life example: Eco Field Days 2025
The importance of linking agriculture and water conservation was also demonstrated in June 2025, when Wassergut Canitz GmbH hosted the nationwide Eco Field Days event. With the main theme of “Water in Agriculture,” the focus was precisely on what has distinguished the company for decades: ecologically oriented farming that protects groundwater—not as a side effect, but as a goal.
During guided tours and technical discussions, visitors were able to experience how diverse crop rotations, catch crops, soil-conserving technology, adapted animal husbandry, and structurally rich landscape elements contribute directly to ensuring drinking water quality. The farm's fields became a learning space for all those who see agriculture as part of the solution – for regional supply, biodiversity, and clean water.
Water quality is not a matter of chance – it is the result of agricultural decisions
The work of Wassergut Canitz GmbH in cooperation with the water supplier shows that agriculture can do more than just produce food. It can nurture soils, protect species, and contribute to stabilizing and improving groundwater and surface water quality. A business that takes responsibility – day after day, field after field.
Dr Bernhard Wagner
After completing my alternative military service, I studied agricultural sciences at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg from 1998 to 2003. From 2004 to 2011, I worked as a research assistant (assistant from 2007) at the Chair of General Plant Production/Organic Farming under the direction of Prof. Christen. During this time, I completed my doctorate. At the same time, I was managing director of the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture e.V. (INL e.V. Halle/Saale), and from 2009 to 2011, I was authorized signatory and initiator of the founding of INL GmbH (Private Institute for Sustainable Agriculture GmbH), for which we received the IQ Innovation Award Halle / Special Award UNIVATIONS in 2010. From 2013 to 2015, I was first an assistant and later managing director at a large agricultural company in Saxony-Anhalt.
Since 2015, I have been managing director of Wassergut Canitz GmbH (880 ha, certified organic Bioland farm since 1992, additionally Naturland e.V. since 2024) – a subsidiary of Leipziger Wasserwerke and venue for the nationwide “Öko-Feldtage 2025” (Eco Field Days 2025).
Committee work
• since 2022: Member of the board of FiBL Deutschland e.V.
• since 2022: Advisory board of the Organic Competence Center of LfULG Saxony
• 2021 to 2022: Member of the market commission at Bioland e.V.
• since 2019: Board member of Landesverband Bioland Ost e.V.
• 2019-2024: AG Nährstoffmanagement Bioland e.V.
• 2019 to 2020: Member of the National Water Dialogue (BMU), Agriculture and Consumer Protection Cluster
• 2018 to 2022: Federal Milk Committee, Bioland e.V.
• 2018 to 2023: Member of the Presidium, Bioland e.V.
• 2017-2025: Spokesperson for the Federal Arable Farming Committee at Bioland
• since 2016: Member of the Federal Expert Committee on Arable Farming at Bioland e.V.
• since 2017: Advisory Board Alliance for Grandchild-Friendly Agriculture
• since 2016: Collaboration in the Expert Committee (temporary) “Partnership – Agriculture & Environment” at the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Consumer Protection (BMELV)
• since 2015: Expert Advisory Board on Plant Production at LfULG Saxony
• 2013-2015: Member of the working group for the development of a sustainability strategy for sustainable milk production at DMK (Deutsches Milchkontor eG)
• since 2011: Member of the Values Academy at the East-West Forum Gut Gödelitz e.V.
• 2009-2011: Member of the Methodology Advisory Board of the Sustainability Program (Pro Planet Label) of REWE International AG (Austria)
• 2008-2011: Member of DIN NA 172 Standards Committee on Fundamentals of Environmental Protection (NAGUS), NA 172-00-10 AA Working Committee on Sustainability Criteria for Sustainably Produced Biomass
• 2007-2011: Member of the “Water Framework Directive” Committee of the Saxony-Anhalt State Farmers' Association
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