3 Questions for… Ranga Yogeshwar

Storytelling was one of the major topics at BIOFACH 2025. What stories do you believe we need to tell to get more people excited about organic products?

Storytelling is a method that is used in many different areas. It is important to me to emphasize that in the context of organic products, we are dealing with very special stories. What distinguishes them? They are stories that are credible. They are stories that are real. Storytelling is often misused in other industries to tell stories that are actually untrue. I believe that this is precisely the strength of the organic industry: focusing on the authenticity of the stories.

Organic farming is considered part of the solution for climate protection and greater biodiversity. How can we communicate this to the general public in a way that is easy to understand?

I believe we are in the midst of a process of awareness. It will probably take several generations before organic food becomes the norm. I can remember a time when German cuisine was very different from what it is today. Nowadays, even at large receptions, I see that the cuisine of my Indian childhood is becoming increasingly popular in Germany. People are beginning to understand that it doesn't always have to be meat. And organic food is increasingly understood in terms of health. This means that awareness is growing, which is one piece of the mosaic in a larger picture. It is not the solution to say that organic food alone will change the climate. It won't, but it is part of the mosaic. If we understand that these individual pieces together form a livable and joyful picture, then we will make progress.

What makes you feel confident that society will change for the better?

We are living in a time of great change. At the same time, however, it is also a time in which many past changes are being put to the test. Consider how many industries there are that were very successful for a while, until we eventually realized that they no longer work. One example is the big issue of plastics, for which we are slowly coming to understand that it does not work well in some areas. Or the entire fossil fuel industry, where we are realizing that there are better solutions than driving into the city with a combustion engine. Or energy production—we could go on and on. In other words, we are taking stock of the first steps of industrialization for the first time. My hope is that we now understand, both critically and pragmatically, that technology and innovation are cool – but in the end they must have one focus, and that is us humans.