"Although natural farming — since it can teach people to cultivate a deep understanding of nature - may lead to spiritual insight, it's not strictly a spiritual practice. Natural farming is just farming, nothing more. You don't have to be a spiritually oriented person to practice my methods. Anyone who can approach these concepts with a clear, open mind will be starting off well."
- Masanobu Fukuoka
From the Japanese master of "do nothing" gardening,
a great way to sow seeds and allow nature to simply do its thing. If you like this method then you can read more in the classic texts "Natural Way of Farming" and "One Straw Revolution" by Masanobu Fukuoka. (Purchase books here) According to Fukuoka:
I will admit that I have had my share of failures during the forty years that I have been at it. But because I was headed basically in the right direction, I now have yields that are at least equal to or better than those of crops grown scientifically in every respect. And most importantly:
1) My method succeeds at only a tiny fraction of the labor and costs of scientific farming, and my goal is to bring this down to zero.
2) At no point in the process of cultivation or in my crops is there any element that generates pollution, in addition to which my soil remains eternally fertile.
"And I guarantee that anyone can farm this way. This method of 'do-nothing' farming is based on four major principles:
No cultivation.
No fertilizer
No weeding
No pesticides"
Fukuoka died in November 2008. May his legacy of unobtrusive gardening live on!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
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