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Natural farming

Masanobu Fukuoka, originator of the natural farming method

Natural farming (自然農法, shizen nōhō),[1] also referred to as "the Fukuoka Method", "the natural way of farming", or "do-nothing farming", is an ecological farming approach established by Masanobu Fukuoka (1913–2008). Fukuoka, a Japanese farmer and philosopher, introduced the term in his 1975 book The One-Straw Revolution. The title refers not to lack of effort, but to the avoidance of manufactured inputs and equipment. Natural farming is related to fertility farming, organic farming, sustainable agriculture, agroecology, agroforestry, ecoagriculture and permaculture, but should be distinguished from biodynamic agriculture.

The system works along with the natural biodiversity of each farmed area, encouraging the complexity of living organisms—both plant and animal—that shape each particular ecosystem to thrive along with food plants.[2] Fukuoka saw farming both as a means of producing food and as an aesthetic or spiritual approach to life, the ultimate goal of which was, "the cultivation and perfection of human beings".[3][4] He suggested that farmers could benefit from closely observing local conditions.[5] Natural farming is a closed system, one that demands no human-supplied inputs and mimics nature.[6]

Fukuoka's natural farming practice rejected the use of modern technology, and after twenty-five years, his farm demonstrated consistently comparable yields to that of the most technologically advanced farms in Japan, doing so without the pollution, soil loss, energy consumption, and environmental degradation inherent in these modern types of farming. One of the main prompts of natural farming, is to ask why we should apply modern technology to the process of growing food, if nature is capable of achieving similar yields without the negative side-effects of these technologies.[7] Such ideas radically challenged conventions that are core to modern agro-industries; instead of promoting importation of nutrients and chemicals, he suggested an approach that takes advantage of the local environment.[8] Although natural farming is sometimes considered a subset of organic farming, it differs greatly from conventional organic farming,[9] which Fukuoka considered to be another modern technique that disturbs nature.[10]

Fukuoka claimed that his approach prevents water pollution, biodiversity loss and soil erosion, while providing ample amounts of food, and there is a growing body of scientific work in fields like agroecology and regenerative agriculture, that lend support to these claims.[11][12][13]

  1. ^ 1975 (in Japanese) 自然農法-わら一本の革命 (in English) 1978 re-presentation The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming.
  2. ^ "Life and Death in the Field | Final Straw – Food | Earth | Happiness". www.finalstraw.org. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
  3. ^ Floyd, J.; Zubevich, K. (2010). "Linking foresight and sustainability: An integral approach". Futures. 42: 59–68. doi:10.1016/j.futures.2009.08.001.
  4. ^ Hanley, Paul (1990). "Agriculture: A Fundamental Principle" (PDF). Journal of Bahá'í Studies. 3 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  5. ^ Colin Adrien MacKinley Duncan (1996). The Centrality of Agriculture: Between Humankind and the Rest of Nature. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. ISBN 978-0-7735-6571-5.
  6. ^ Trees on Organic Farms, Mirret, Erin Paige. North Carolina State University, 2001
  7. ^ Fukuoka, Masanobu (2012). Sowing seeds in the desert : natural farming, global restoration, and ultimate food security. Larry Korn. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green Pub. pp. xix. ISBN 978-1-60358-418-0. OCLC 759171802.
  8. ^ Stephen Morse; Michael Stockin (1995). People and Environment: Development for the Future. Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN 978-1-85728-283-2.
  9. ^ Elpel, Thomas J. (November 1, 2002). Participating in Nature: Thomas J. Elpel's Field Guide to Primitive Living Skills. HOPS Press. ISBN 1892784122.
  10. ^ What Does Natural Farming Mean? Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine by Toyoda, Natsuko
  11. ^ "Science | Agroecology Knowledge Hub | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations". www.fao.org. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  12. ^ Hilmi, Angela (2018). Agroecology : reweaving a new landscape. Cham. ISBN 978-3-319-68489-5. OCLC 1012884027.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  13. ^ Priya Reddy; Prescott College Environmental studies (2010). Sustainable Agricultural Education: An Experiential Approach to Shifting Consciousness and Practices. Prescott College. ISBN 978-1-124-38302-6.

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