| Masanobu Fukuoka |
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| 1913 births | |
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BACKGROUND Trained as a Microbiologist in his native Japan , he began his career as a Soil Scientist specializing in Plant Pathology . At age 25, he began to doubt the wisdom of modern Agricultural Science . He eventually quit his job as a Research scientist, and returned to his family's Farm on the island of Shikoku in Southern Japan to grow Organic Mikan s. From that point on he devoted his life to developing a unique small scale Organic Farming system that does not require Weeding , Pesticide or Fertilizer applications, or Tilling . The timing and circumstances of Fukuoka's conversion from Western agricultural science, parallels the new movement in the 1940s to Organic Farming and gardening in Europe and the US , led by pioneers like Lady Eve Balfour , Sir Albert Howard , and J.I. Rodale (founder of Rodale Press ). However Fukuoka himself believes that he is going a step further than organic farming: "The problem, however, is that most people do not yet understand the distinction between organic gardening and natural farming. Both scientific agriculture and organic farming are basically scientific in their approach. The boundary between the two is not clear." (''The Road Back to Nature'' page 363) At age 94, Fukuoka still manages to lecture when he can, such as at the Expo 2005 in Aichi Prefecture , Japan . TECHNIQUE Fukuoka practices a system of farming he refers to as "natural farming." Although some of his practices are specific to Japan, the governing philosophy of his method has successfully been applied around the world. In India , natural farming is often referred to as "Rishi Kheti." The essence of Fukuoka's method is to reproduce natural conditions as closely as possible. There is no Plow ing, as the Seed Germinates quite happily on the surface if the right conditions are provided. There is also considerable emphasis on maintaining Diversity . A ground cover of White Clover grows under the grain plants to provide Nitrogen . Weed s (and Daikon s) are also considered part of the Ecosystem , periodically cut and allowed to lie on the surface so the nutrients they contain are returned to the soil. Duck s are let into the grain plot, and specific Insectivorous Carp into the Rice Paddy at certain times of the year to eat Slug s and other Pest s. The ground is always covered. As well as the clover and weeds, there is the Straw from the previous Crop , which is used as Mulch , and each grain crop is sown before the previous one is harvested. This is done by Broadcasting the seed among the standing crop. Also he re-introduced the ancient technique of Seed Ball s (土団子,土だんご,Tsuchi Dango {Earth Dumpling}). The seed for next season's crop is mixed with Clay , compost, and sometimes manure, and formed into small balls. The result is a denser crop of smaller but highly productive and stronger plants. Fukuoka's method and philosophy is about small scale farming, yet he claims "''With this kind of farming, which uses no machines, no prepared fertilizer and no chemicals, it is possible to attain a harvest equal to or greater than that of the average Japanese farm.''" (The one-straw revolution page 3). Manure being added to a seed ball mixture is a bad idea unless the source animal has been raised in an all-natural environment. QUOTES "If we throw mother nature out the window, she comes back in the door with a pitchfork." "When a decision is made to cope with the symptoms of a problem, it is generally assumed that the corrective measures will solve the problem itself. They seldom do. Engineers cannot seem to get this through their heads. These countermeasures are all based on too narrow a definition of what is wrong. Human measures and countermeasures proceed from limited scientific truth and judgment. A true solution can never come about in this way." Throw nature out with a pitchfork; she'll soon be back. - 'naturam expellas furca tamen usque recurret' - is a quotation from the Latin Poet Horace. And, as it happens,a favourite of the psychoanalyst C. G. Jung. SEE ALSO
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