Masanobu Fukuoka

Fukuoka Masanobu ( Japanese福岡 正 信; * February 2, 1913 ; † August 16, 2008 ) was initially a microbiologist and then became a farmer . His books are standard works in permaculture . He himself describes the nature of his agricultural method as "not doing agriculture" according to the Daoist Wu-wei principle .

Masanobu Fukuoka in 2002

meaning

Fukuoka is considered to be the initiator of the spread of the seed bomb sowing technique , which has since become widely known. This technique, which he developed after the Second World War, initially for his no-till method of plowing rice cultivation, is now also used in the guerrilla gardening movement.

In 1988 Fukuoka received the Ramon Magsaysay Prize .

Due to the renewed interest in his work, his book The One Straw Revolution (title of the German edition: The Great Way Has No Gate ) was reprinted in the USA in 2009, as was the German edition The Great Way Has No Gate in 2013 .

Fukuoka's philosophy of no-doing agriculture

The Japanese farmer's concept of natural agriculture is: Nature is able to sustain itself. It does not require human intervention.

Masanobu Fukuoka uses this power of nature through the targeted combination of different plants. He tries to establish an ecological balance in order to increase the protection of crops from pests and the nutrient enrichment of the soil. Its fields and gardens are rich in animals and plants and do not need to be plowed or chemically fertilized.

By carefully observing the natural processes, Fukuoka recognizes when the right time is for sowing and which plants complement each other best. He only intervenes where it is necessary to preserve the crops that he wants to preserve. He leaves the fertilization and protection against pests to nature. So all he has to do is sow and reap.

With the help of this agricultural method - according to the statement by Fukuoka - the supply of all people with sufficient food could easily be ensured in a comparably small area. This would not only fill you up, but at the same time, as medicine, would cause good health. However, the prerequisite is that people adjust to a seasonal and regional (and low-meat) diet, do not eat more and more exotic food and demand it at times of the year when its basic ingredients do not naturally thrive.

Masanobu Fukuoka was also known for its double crop rotation without plowing in the same location. He sows rice and winter barley alternately. To contain weeds and supply the soil with nutrients with nitrogen, he primarily uses white clover , a legume that grows over the whole area .

Works, in German

• The great way has no gate. Pala-Verlag, Darmstadt 2013, ISBN 978-3-89566-206-5 .
• Return to nature. The philosophy of natural cultivation. Pala-Verlag, Schaafheim 1998, ISBN 978-3-923176-46-5 .
• In harmony with nature. The practice of natural cultivation. Pala-Verlag, Schaafheim 1998, ISBN 978-3-923176-47-2 .
• The search for the lost paradise. Natural agriculture as a way out of the crisis. Pala-Verlag, Schaafheim 1999, ISBN 978-3-923176-63-2 .

Works, in English

• The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming. Rodale Press 1978.
• The Natural Way Of Farming - The Theory and Practice of Green Philosophy. Japan Publications 1985,  ISBN 978-0-87040-613-3 .
• The Road Back to Nature - Regaining the Paradise Lost. Japan Publications 1987,  ISBN 978-0-87040-673-7 .
• The Ultimatum of God Nature. The One-Straw Revolution. A recapitulation. Shou Shin Sha 1996.
• Sowing Seeds in the Desert: Natural Farming, Global Restoration and Ultimate Food Security. 2012, ISBN 978-1603585224 .

Movies

• The great way has no gate. 45 minutes. Path of Nature Association, Gamlitz, Austria. (The film conveys the most important messages of his four books about what he calls his doing nothing farming.)
• Final Straw. 74 minutes. Produced by Patrick Lydon and Suhee Kang. 2015.

Web links

• Natural agriculture
• OneStrawRevolution.net
• Larry Korn
• July 1982 Plowboy Interview (Summary of the "Straw Revolution")
• "The Natural Way of Farming" (Fukuoka's work (in English) can be borrowed from there as a personalized digital copy.)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Seedballs: from Fukuoka to Green Guerrillas. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
2. ^ NYRB Classics: The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
3. ↑ pala-verlag The Great Way Has No Gate Retrieved on August 12, 2014. ( Memento of the original from May 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.