THE ONE-STRAW REVOLUTION - "AN INTRODUCTION TO NATURAL FARMING" - MASANOBU FUKUOKA - 1975
Reading "The One-Straw Revolution" is a revelation. Through the rediscovery of natural farming—such as re-establishing dry-land rice cultivation (as it grows naturally in the Japanese climate), the "no-till" method and the practice of "do-nothing" farming, or the invention of seed balls—Fukuoka presents a poetic and philosophical narrative that will leave a lasting mark on you. Simple ideas, self-evident truths, which were revolutionary in the 70s, when everyone swore by technological progress and chemicals. An easy read that will make you think differently; there is life before, and life after Fukuoka!
"The doctor treats the sick; nature takes care of the healthy" Masanobu Fukuoka.
- Format: 140 x 210 mm
- 202 pages
An introduction to natural farming: Over the past 40 years, Masanobu Fukuoka has witnessed with indignation the degeneration of Japanese land and society. As one man, the Japanese followed the American model of economic and industrial development, abandoning their rich heritage of simple, earth-centered work. But Mr. Fukuoka was determined not to abandon traditional agriculture. On the contrary, he refined it to such an extent that his natural farming method requires less labor and causes less damage to nature than any other method, while maintaining the same yields per hectare as neighboring farmers.
In this profoundly sensitive and thought-provoking work, Masanobu Fukuoka describes the events that led him to develop his natural farming method and the impact it has had on his land, himself, and the thousands of people he has taught. He describes the method itself and why he believes it offers a practical and stable model for a society based on simplicity and permanence.
Masanobu Fukuoka demonstrates a deep understanding of the interactions between agriculture and other aspects of culture. He feels that natural farming originates in the spiritual health of the individual. He considers the healing of the Earth and the purification of the human spirit to be one and the same, and proposes a way of living and farming where this process can be realized.
This book aims to change attitudes toward nature, agriculture, and physical and spiritual health.
Masanobu Fukuoka (1913 - 2008) was trained as a microbiologist. He specialized in plant pathology and worked for a few years as an agricultural customs inspector. But at the age of 25, Masanobu Fukuoka began to question the fundamental principles of modern agriculture. He decided to leave his technical career and return to his native village, where he spent the rest of his life developing a unique method of natural farming. Today, he has a large following in Japan. He gave numerous lectures, wrote many articles, and authored four books translated into French. He spent a good portion of his time sharing his philosophy and agricultural techniques with the many visitors who came to his farm overlooking Matsuyama Bay on the island of Shikoku in southern Japan.