An older title, but one that so many food writers have referenced that I felt it was time to find a copy. The now-deceased author was a longtime advocate of what he called "do-nothing agriculture," which is not literally accurate but that indicates his lifelong success in farming diverges significantly from most. The book takes the reader through his techniques, including allowing a mix of crops with clover, fruit trees, etc. in the same field; no use of pesticides and minimal fertilizer; and planting new grains immediately after the prior harvest so some fields remain productive throughout the year (possible in the mild climate of his native Ehime Prefecture). It is also relatively conversational, so you learn some about Fukuoka's life and the many visitors his farm enjoyed. ( )

Au cours des 40 dernières années Masanobu Fukuoka a témoigné avec indignation de la dégénérescence de la terre et de la société japonaise. Comme un seul homme, les japonais ont suivi le modèle américain de développement économique et industriel, abandonnant leur riche héritage de travail simple et proche de la terre. Mais M. Fukuoka était déterminé à ne pas abandonner l'agriculture traditionnelle. Il l'affina, au contraire, à tel point que sa méthode d'agriculture sauvage demande moins de travail et cause moins de dégâts à la nature qu'aucune autre méthode tout en maintenant les mêmes rendements à l'hectare que les paysans voisins. Dans cet ouvrage d'une profonde sensibilité et qui fait réfléchir, M.Fukuoka décrit les évènements qui l'ont conduit à développer sa méthode d'agriculture sauvage et l'impact qu'elle a eu sur la terre, lui-même, et les milliers de personnes à qui il l'a enseignée. Il décrit la méthode elle-même et pourquoi il croit qu'elle offre un modèle pratique et stable de société basée sur la simplicité et la permanence. M. Fukuoka fait preuve d'une compréhension profonde des interactions entre l'agriculture et les autres aspects de la culture. Il sent que l'agriculture sauvage a son origine dans la santé spirituelle de l'individu. Il considère que la guérison de la terre et la purification de l'esprit humain sont la même chose et propose une manière de vivre et de cultiver où ce processus puisse se réaliser. Ce livre a pour but de changer les attitudes envers la nature, l'agriculture, la nourriture, la santé physique et spirituelle.

Calling it cultish is generous. It's mostly just wrong or meaningless at best. The only way to defend this is by claiming it's allegory, like the Bible, and cannot be read literally. ( )

This is a book that will make you want to be a natural farmer. If only we could all have land to live on. ( )

Note: This book was read as part of an upcoming, Books on Tap, summer event sponsored by our county library system and a local cidery, in which folks compete in answering questions about ten different books and ten different movies available through the library. The book starts by concentrating on how the author developed a "close-to-nature" method of agriculture. It is this part of the book, roughly a third, that has attracted so many readers and such high regard for the work. The methods could be described by some as back-to-basics or old fashioned techniques, but crude would be closer to it. It most certainly is not the modern agriculture that has attracted huge corporations. For instance, there is no ground cultivation in the authors method. Before assuming this may be insanity, the reader must accept that his methods have been proven to produce crop production equal to modern methods and with no pollution. The problem is this agricultural debate is only a part of the book, and this is a review of the book and not the agricultural techniques. The rest of the book, which the author would claim is all connected to the part that is so highly regarded, goes far afield from such things as planting techniques. Should most people leave the cities and start small farms? If you think about why you are eating something, does that reduce its nutritional value? Do crops that grow well in any given season do so specifically because that is what humans need to be eating at that point on time? If "true" natural foods taste good and everything else tastes bad, why is cooking or pickling vegetables not unnatural, while adding spices is because you thought about the flavor you wanted? Is it really "do-nothing" agriculture if you have to do it all day long everyday? I have watched four different videos about the author and this book to see what others have thought, and, while they have all praised the author and the book, none have mentioned anything about these or other issues covered in the book. I give full credit to the wisdom of the "natural farming" espoused in the book and consider much of the rest dangerously close to claptrap. ( )

While this book is about one man's gardening adventure in Japan, the concepts behind his garden philosophy seem pretty applicable to gardens everywhere. This book certainly serves to justify my own garden philosophy to folks who think I am nuts for not constantly using fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and a mower to tame and manage my yard. ( )

I've been hearing about this book for the past ten years, and finally got around to giving it a read through. It was well worth it! It's on par with Schumacher's "Small is Beautiful"—both in its elegance and significance.

Fukuoka was a scientist for the first part of his life, and a simple farmer for the second part. Although it seems as though he might be an atheist, the book is quite spiritual in nature.

Our author starts the book with the proclamation of a realization he had relatively early in life about human life being meaningless. The rest of this book stems from this realization, and the end of the book goes into further discussion on the topic.

I can't say I ever came to an understanding about what Fukuoka meant by this. He obviously has a lot of beliefs about what is meaningful, as he navigates the world with a decisive conscience. For example, he knows that chemical fertilizers are bad, and that natural food should be cheaper than industrial food. Also, his term, "do-nothing farming" is equally misleading. I've heard a similar saying about the lazy farmer being the farmer that accomplishes his work today so that he can rest tomorrow. That's not really the commonly-held understanding of lazy, and I don't think anyone could say Fukuoka did nothing on his farm.

I think what Fukuoka's getting at here is along the same lines of efficiency in effort and labor. The image of a master craftsman comes to mind planing a block of wood—his motions use the minimal required effort to accomplish his aim, and their execution is skillful and precise.

Fukuoka's observations about food and farming truly do call for a revolution. He proposes that 100% of humans should be farmers. He proposes that, when considering the term "natural food," we would do to remember that preparing food with heat and with salt is unnatural (so of course the "natural foods" we see in grocery stores today are nothing of the sort). Fukuoka himself lived on a property without running water or electricity, and his farm was almost entirely self-sufficient in regard to calories produced.

Sometimes I feel a little depressed reading books like this—if someone could have such a clearly-articled and broadly read critique of industrial agriculture and consumer culture back in the '70s and '80s, why are we in an even worse situation today? Conversely, even if my generation is able to understand the underlying trends at work in the world today, and live our lives accordingly, what difference will it make? Sometimes this line of thinking can lead to a sense of futility.

On the other hand, grandfathers of sustainable farming such as Fukuoka have been instrumental to movements such as the one today forming around regenerative agriculture.

A note on my interpretation of "sustainability" as inspired by Fukuoka's use of the term. Sustainability has become a word that is almost meaningless today. Many have been turning to the word "regenerative," claiming that regeneration goes beyond sustainability. I find this to be an unfair and inaccurate assessment of the term. Sustainability originally was a living-systems term describing the ability of a bioregion to sustain itself indefinitely, which requires dynamism, not stasis. Proponents of the term "regenerative" claim that they're "improving" systems—but only systems that have already been degraded by human action! Actually, the net impact of regeneration is only to try to attempt to bring a system back up to a level of functioning almost as good as it was before we messed it up! In other words, true sustainability requires regeneration—not the other way around! ( )

This book has a bit of everything, from 'natural farming' and healthy eating to philosophical beliefs and particle physics! The first two thirds of the book deal with Mr. Fukuoka's methods of farming. I found this to be an inspired and insightful section of the book, which I will certainly reread at some point. The last third I did not enjoy as much, though the author and I agree on many points, I was unable to appreciate the style in which it was written. I believe Mr. Fukuoka was attempting to rally his people to a way of life they have all but forgotten. An admirable goal to be sure, but for this Western reader seemed a bit angry, high-minded, and condescending. As I said before, I did enjoy this read, and the letter to his readers written seven years after the first publication seemed an appropriate and peaceful way to close. ( )

It really is an amazing book. Ok, fine, not every detail of what Fukuoka proposes would work elsewhere, for example where there are harsh winters, but the idea of living simply, of letting nature guide farming practices, of not using chemicals and not tilling for a monoculture, is exceedingly valuable. And what a healthy way to live - eating hydroponic tomatoes and commuting to an office job and relaxing in front of the tv will kill you a lot faster than living on a few acres and growing your own food, relaxing by shelling peas kind of thing. I know, it sound corny, but in this gentleman's voice, it sounds not only lovely but plausible, even necessary.

From the introduction by Larry Korn: The fundamental distinction is that Mr. Fukuoka farms by cooperating with nature rather than trying to 'improve' upon nature by conquest."

A quote from Mr. F.: "When a decision is made to cope with the symptoms of a problem, it is generally assumed that the corrective measures will solve the problem itself. They seldom do." The examples given make it clear that we need to bear this in mind not just in farming, but in the rest of our lives. Get more fresh air and exercise, to make your whole body healthier, and you won't need to pop as many pills (which cost money which lack of sufficient causes one stress which makes one feel the need for more pills). We all know this - but Mr. F. encourages one to feel it strongly enough to begin to practice it.

Another example of how a person can live more completely and holistically by living more simply: "When it is understood that one loses joy and happiness in the attempt to possess them, the essence of natural farming will be realized. The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."

Or try this: "In nature there is life and death, and nature is joyful. In human society there is life and death, and people live in sorrow."

Lest you think this is 'too deep' for you, note that there is humor, too. Mr. F. notes that Einstein was given the Nobel Prize for explaining something about physics. "His explanation is bewildering, however, and it caused people to think that the world is complex beyond all possible understanding. A citation of 'disturbing the peace of the human spirit' should have been awarded instead.'"" ( )

This book is a great argument for authentically natural farming - farming that follows most closely the behavior of nature. Fukuoka is known as the Father of Permaculture, and his methods he used in Japan were unheard of, and extremely underrated. The actual methods explained in the book aren't as applicable (unless you live in Japan) as the concepts discussed in the book and its overall theme. A short, good read that I'll likely reference while planning my own garden! ( )

This guy developed a simple way to farm and have the soil gain in fertility. Kinda cool. ( )

Fukuoka is a wise and philosophical Japanese farmer. He tells how to raise food without all the effort, and yet still get the same or better results. No weeding, no plowing. His method improves the soil every year. And he does all this on the side of a mountain. An incredible read. ( )

This was a fascinating book about one Japanese farmer's approach to agriculture and small-scale organic farming as both a practical pursuit and a spiritual path. I will probably re-read it. ( )

The One Straw Revolution is an inspirational book that is very easy to read.

Whilst not all of the ideas and practices are suited to everybody and everywhere, I think that nearly everyone would be able to take something from the book.

The basics of the book is a move from massive agri-business monoculture to small scale natural farming; and it is a move that the author made more than 30 years ago successfully. The book isn't an overly optimistic one sided account and fairly includes his failures as well as his successes.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys gardening and/or cropping. ( )

Fukuoka's classic book about natural farming and "do-nothing" farming makes great reading and gives interesting perspectives to the development of the modern food system. A key book for anyone interested in food, organics, permaculture etc. ( )

Not just a book about organic farming, this is also a book about living in harmony with the way things actually are. For example, the author says that if you prune a fruit tree one time, it will begin to grow in an unnatural way and you will have to keep pruning it forever; even natural fertilizers should be applied very sparingly; and so forth. But most importantly, to me, the author simply went out into the countryside and started living the way he wanted to live; he didn't waste any time on crusading or campaigning. ( )

Good concepts but a bit heavy on translator opinion. Could use more information on companion crop plants to compliment the heterogenious mix of plant talk. ( )

out of print, but can be found. A brilliant approach to farming, eating and living.

life-changing! ( )