The One-Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka

Mr. Fukuoka was a simple man from Japan who "taught that the methods of food cultivation are the ones that are aligned with nature." He discovered that "Natural Farming" is the process in which we "cooperate with nature rather then try to improve upon nature by conquest." Life circumstances proved some simple truths to this pioneer that were trying to be eradicated by the new wave of American modern chemical agriculture in 1938. Americans convinced the Japanese mainstream farmers to adopt this post WW2 chemical warfare on crops not to increase food production but to supposedly reduce the time and labor for the farmer in the field by 50%.

Many of the steps in this chemical process; plowing soil before planting, applying fertilizer and pesticides, irrigation of the fields, and making and adding compost to the fields were making the farmer busier. Mr. Fukuoka accidently discovered a field near his hometown that had not been plowed or treated for 25 years. It was successfully growing very healthy crops with this "Do Nothing Farming". The more that nature was allowed to exist without pruning and interferance of men, nature would improve and become whole again.

To be continued...