Sepp Holzer



Josef "Sepp" Holzer (born July 24, 1942, in Ramingstein, State of Salzburg, Austria) is a farmer, an author, and an international consultant for natural agriculture. After an upbringing in a traditional Catholic rural family, he took over his parents' mountain farm business in 1962 and became well known for his use of ecological farming, or permaculture, techniques at high altitudes (1100 to 1500 meters after being unsuccessful with regular farming methods.

Holzer was called the "agricultural rebel" by the Austrian biologist Bernd Lötsch (de) because he persisted, despite being fined and even threatened with prison for practices such as not pruning his fruit trees.

Current work
, he was still conducting permaculture ("Holzer Permaculture") seminars both at his Krameterhof farm and worldwide, while continuing to work on his alpine farm.

He is author of several books, works nationally as permaculture-activist in the established agricultural industry, and works internationally as adviser for ecological agriculture.

He is the subject of the film The Agro Rebel, directed by Bertram Verhaag.

Filmography

 * Permaculture Now! - Desert or Paradise? (2013)
 * Sepp Holzer's Permaculture: 3 Films About Permaculture Farming (2015)