The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming (New York Review Books Classics) Paperback – June 2, 2009

What a wonderful book

This is an awesome book for numerous reasons, waayyy too many to count. The original author is perhaps a genius who was way ahead of his time. It is very interesting to learn that you can 'farm" without a ton of Chemical fertilizers, sustain a family of 5 on about 1.25 acre plot, do not need a rice Paddy for growing rice and can grow it in a "dry field", typically "green manure" and some animal &/or human manure (yes, human) are enough to replenish the nutrients in a field or growing plot (if I understood that part correctly), vegetables grown without chemical fertilizer in a "natural setting" taste much better and have more nutrients for your body, when sowing seeds you can do so "randomly" instead of in rows and can/will get better results, daikon radish and other vegetables can/will resow themselves year after year if done so properly (how?? read this book), it is actually cheaper to grow organic vegetables, however, consumers typically think a lower price means lower quality and vice versa, I could go on and on but I'm fDone writing this. If you enjoy farming or growing vegetables then this book will not disappoint you, especially if you would prefer to grow them more naturally and healthier for you and your family, plus easier too!. The author of this book makes many good points about farming, growing vegetable sustainably, and how to do so much easier than the typical farmer/person does these days. You ask Who should you blame this on? The chemical companies, of course. The "big pharma" of the farmer. He said in the past Farmers in Japan would typically take off 3 months during the winter time to go hunting animals/game for food because they had the time to do so and it was enjoyable. As chemicals became more prevalent in the farming process the farmers work actually got harder and took more time. Sounds crazy to me but I 100% believe it. I can't say enough good things about this book I wish the author were still alive and I was able to meet him. After reading this book I am noweven more interested in a "living off the grid lifestyle" & growing food sustainably for myself, without all the backbreaking work I thought was involved with farming. This 'new method' of farming the author describes is actually a very very old method & by not using chemicals & using a more natural approach to farming, it will actually make things easier for you the farmer/grower, plus make the food you grow taste better and be better ( nutritionally) for you.

The One Straw Revolution is a book more about philosophy than farming.Fukuoka's point of view completely changed my outlook. He explains, quite eloquently, that we (humanity) know next to nothing about the natural system which grew and sustains us.Our ignorance outweighs our understanding of how the web of life is interconnected.We do not understand how the system works; so, our actions, no matter how well intentioned, inevitably disrupt function.So, the least we can do is the best we can do. This is not a call for laziness; but, instead a call for reflection on how to accomplish your goals with the least disruption of nature.The natural system (or God's plan, if you swing that way) already knows best how to fix the problems we create. The best way to heal our damage is to allow nature to do its work; and, repair the damage we have done.Altogether, most of the problems we face with our environment are our own doing.Human agricultural methods are very good at turning forests into deserts.Our "solutions" are only band-aids that result in even more problems than the problems we originally created. Because of our eternally incomplete understanding, letting nature fix the problems we have created is the only solution.Make seed balls and spread them!

Masanobu Fukuoka was a government research scientist when he decided to become a farmer, and as a farmer what he practiced completely contravened the modern industrial agricultural complex that was slowly taking over Japan and the rest of the world. And as a farmer he planted a farming ideology and philosophy that can be best described as zen farming.Yes, weeds grow, plants die, and nature takes, but so modern farming uses fertilizers, pesticides, and crop rotation to counter-act the effects of nature. But the problem is not nature, Masanobu argues, but rather man's obsession with defying and controlling nature. Like a true Buddhist, Masanobu argues that the source of man's unhappiness is his greed -- his craven desire to take more than he needs, which causes pollution, soil degradation, and disease. What man needs to do is to fundamentally question economic growth as ideal, and learn to trust and to work with nature once again -- plant what you need, let nature grow the food for you, and do nothing more.Responding to the criticism "If you did nothing at all the world could not keep running. What would the world be without development?" Masanobu responds, "Why do we have to develop? if economic growth rises from 5% to 10%, is happiness going to double? What's wrong with a growth rate of 0%? Could there be anything better than living simply and taking it easy?"In a damning critique of economic growth and the folly of man, he writes:"People find something out, learn how it works, and put nature to use, thinking this will be for the good of humankind. The result of all this, up to now is that the planet has become polluted, people have become confused, and we have invited in the chaos of modern times. At this farm we practice 'do-nothing' farming and eat wholesome and delicious grains, vegetables, and citrus. There is meaning and basic satisfaction just in living close to the source of things. Life is song and poetry."