Fukuoka: Do-Nothing

 

Mr Fukuoka set about simplifying the techniques he used on his farm. He knew that it must be nature, not man, who grows the crop. He eradicated as much of man's influence as he could. This meant the end of fertilizers, pesticides, weeding, and most importantly, cultivation. Tilling is as old as agriculture, but Fukuoka saw that it was at best unnecessary, at worst destructive. All the cultivation of the soil that was needed was done by the action of roots, and by organisms such as worms. All the weeding that was necessary could be done by mulching. The killing of pests could be left to the natural predators that would appear in a healthy field. And extra fertilizing could be maintained by the use of a 'green manure', such as white clover. Thus Mr Fukuoka saw that farming could be reduced from the complicated and destructive ways of the day, to a simple and holistic method, remaining in harmony with nature: 'Do-Nothing Farming.'