Sabine Kabbert
Innovator
Bioland e.V.
Germany
Cultural
Farming
Rural village
The innovation journey
Sabine Kabath is a pioneer of organic farming and a person of conviction. She is an excellent networker with strong connections within and beyond the region. She is vice president of the organic growers’ association “Bioland e.V.”.
Her outstanding career pathway and personal engagement represents a series of organizational and social innovations. Sabine grew up in East berlin in the Eastern part of Germany (German Democratic Republic, GDR). Since she was young, she was determined to work with plants and grow vegetables but she was not able to realise her dream. In the early 1990s, the system changed (German reunification). “I haven’t given it much thought, I took the opportunity”. With partners, she took over Watzkendorf plant nursery in Blankensee, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The transition from a socialist type of farm embedded in the associated village to a competitive vegetable producer was challenging. Since the 1990s, Sabine has been the managing partner of the Bioland farm Watzkendorf. She has been a member of the Bioland Presidium since 2011, as well as a board member of the Bioland Regional Association East since 2009.
The innovation impact
The innovative way of leading the farm through an encompassing transition process since the 1990s had in impact on not only the farm itself but also the village around it. The German reunification and the very fast transition from a planned economy to a market economy within one country were unique compared to other transition countries in Middle and Eastern Europe. Western European societies often overlook the substantial effect the system change had on rural and urban areas. Sabine’s positive attitude, skills and competencies, as well as her inspiring way of problem-solving, have affected not only individuals and the local community but also organizational structures and organic farming-related politics.