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Natural Farming Fukuoka Panos Manikis Ideas Son Line
Natural Farming Fukuoka Panos Manikis Ideas Son Line
NATURAL FARMING
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Introduction
By Panos Manikis
Sixty-five years ago, Masanobu Fukuoka, just after the end of Second World War, went back to his native village in Japan and started working in order to realize his vision: an earth-friendly agricultural method without using chemicals, fertilizers or technology. He called it natural farming, but he could have also called it do-nothing farming", since Fukuokas approach was that of getting rid of unnecessary practices and work. It is zero energy farming as no oil (petroleum) is used. Forty years later, his method reached the climax of simplicity. We can simply cover the seeds of forest trees, fruit trees, vegetables, grains and green manure plants with clay, make clay-balls and sow them before the rainy season starts, that is September and October for the Autumn seeding or March and April for the Spring seeding. In this way we can establish vegetable gardens and natural farms, we can grow grains and we can revegetate the deserts or barren mountains and wasteland. The natural farming method has five principles, speaking about orchard trees: no tillage; no fertilizers; no pesticides; no weeding; no pruning. These principles are valid under any climatic or soil condition, although type or variety of vegetation might change from place to place. Soil erosion, floods, landslides, lowering of the level of the underground water, decrease of the oxygen in the atmosphere, gradual increase of the temperature of our planet Earth and millions of hectares of fertile land turning into a desert are the heavy price the heavy cost paid for the loss of forests. On the other hand, chemical agriculture not only has failed to solve the hunger problem in the world, but has also polluted the air, the soil and the waters; on an economic level the farmers become poorer and poorer and the agricultural population is rapidly decreasing. Moreover, worlds financial crisis will lead to further exploitation of the natural resources and will exacerbate the above-mentioned problems. We should have a holistic approach and we should solve all the problems at once and natural farming has such an approach. Natural farming unites religion, philosophy and science that were one in the past. During his life, Fukuoka received many awards such as: Magsaysay Award in the Philippines, the highest award in Asia; Deshikottam Award in India from the ex-Prime Minister Rajhiv Gandhi; Earth Council Award. He wrote six books, which have been translated into many languages, among others: The One-Straw Revolution; The Natural Way of Farming; The Revolution of God, Man and Nature. In Greece, the first effort for the reforestation of barren mountains and hills started in 1993 by a group of volunteers. They started realizing small sowings and in 1998, with the participation of Fukuoka himself, they organized a 10,000 hectares seeding, the largest ever realized. In 1999, they established the Natural Farming Centre in Klisohori, near the town of Edessa, in Northern Greece. The Natural Farming Centre collaborates with organizations of many countries interested in promoting natural farming, and offers, through its experts, technical assistance to implement projects utilizing this innovative know-how.
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however, mean non intervention. In the case of places like the desert, which have lost their regenerative power, we must mix seeds and microorganisms of every variety in clay pellets and scatter them from the air. In India there are more than 500 varieties of trees that bear edible nuts and 500 varieties of fruit trees. In addition, we should sow among them a mixture of 500 varieties of grains, vegetables, and green manure plants, ideally on the Deccan Plateau and in the desert. My supposition is that, no matter how bad the conditions, there will be some seed varieties suited to that place that will germinate. Even though some will wither and die from extreme dryness and heat, if we sow various green manure plants, vegetables, and grasses along with drought and salt-resistant plants, a number of them will survive. If for even a short time the surface of the earth is covered with vegetation, its temperature will be lowered. The role of the pilot plants is to aid in creating conditions that will allow other plants to germinate. A second purpose in sowing a variety of plants and microorganisms is to awaken the sleeping earth. Among deserts, there are deserts of sand that have lost the ability to support life and have died, but most savannas are young clay deserts in which the nutrients needed by plants are only sleeping. In order to cause chelation, in other words, to rouse the earth and bring about the rebirth of life, a variety of seeds of lower plant forms and microorganisms are necessary.
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The earth will not come back to life if we only plant a number of useful trees in the desert. A plant cannot grow up in isolation. To grow, a hundred-meter tree needs enough soil for one hundred meters of roots. Also, trees of seventy, forty, and twenty meters are necessary. Furthermore, trees are needed to protect the base of the tall trees, and beneath them, undergrowth vegetation and microorganisms are necessary. Only with the aid of all these, can a tree grow to a height of one hundred meters. Life does not exist in isolation, and a large tree is the crystallization of the cooperation of numerous living things. When a large forest is created, and the degree of nature or density of vegetation is high, then rain will begin to fall. Clouds will form over the mountains and rise up from the valleys. The principal actors in the forest are not just the tall trees. Ferns, moss, and fallen leaves all have roles to play.
Rather than trying to secure water and cause rain to fall using human knowledge, we should stop ignoring the mind of nature. Then the earth will naturally be covered with lush green vegetation. The mind of nature is the core or heart of nature. If we do not know the heart of nature, the fundamental source of the creation of the cosmos, then no matter how much we observe the outer aspect of nature, the recovery of nature will be impossible.
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This kind of clay seed pellets can be produced easily, in quantity, using a mixer such as a typical cement mixer with the inner blades removed. In order to produce enough pellets to sow one hectare of desert land, the standard ratio is five parts finely-powdered clay, such as fired brick or porcelain clay, to one part of the above-mentioned seed mixture, but adjustments should be made taking into account the size of the seeds. The bittern is brine obtained by boiling and concentrating sea water and should be 5% of the weight of the seeds. In place of the bittern, highly polymerized compounds may be used. Slaked lime should be 5-10% and water 5-10%. Various layers are formed The inner layer is made by putting seeds and fungi into the mixer while it is rotating, so that the fungi coat the seeds. Next uncontaminated baked clay powder and water mist are sprayed in together as the mixer is rotating, creating the clay central layer, which encloses the fungi. Then the bittern solution, powdered clay, and slaked lime are sprayed in together as the mixer is turned. In this manner, round clay seed pellets, usually 0.5-1.0 cm in diameter are made. Because the seeds in the multi-layered bittern and clay pellets are enclosed by layers of clay, they can, with the help of useful fungi, germinate and develop normally. When bittern is added to powdered clay and they are kneaded together, the arrangement of molecules in the clay is changed, and the pellets become stable, light, and hard. They not only can withstand the fall to earth following aerial
seeding, but also adjust to changes in dampness and dryness related to rainfall, becoming shrunken and solid. Thus, they seldom crumble or break and the seeds are protected by the bittern in outer layer from damage by most insects, birds, and other animals until germination is achieved. In addition, the slaked lime included in the outer layer aids the germination of seeds by neutralizing acidic soil. Although it is possible to prevent damage by birds with pellets of clay only, in deserts and savannas it is difficult to prevent damage by mice, goats, and, in particular, strong insects such as red ants. Most insects and other animals are repelled by the extremely bitter outer layer and will not eat the pellets. This not only ensures the seeds' germination, without the use of extremely toxic poisons, but also makes possible indiscriminate broadcasting of seeds over a wide area.
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The plants on earth exist in reciprocal relations with other plants, animals, and microorganisms and none can develop and flourish alone. In desert regions, in particular, not only are a variety of symbiotic plants necessary, but plants also cannot establish themselves without the cooperation of microorganisms in the soil. For example, pines used in revegetating the desert require the inclusion in the clay pellet of the hyphae of the matsudake mycorrhizal fungus, which can be cultivated using the natural culture medium invented by the author. Pines cannot live without the cooperation of the matsudake fungus. In connection with this, the cause of pine blight lies in the death of the matsudake fungus. In addition, if mycorrhizal plants are not inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi, and leguminous plants with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, we cannot expect their proper development. Furthermore, the powdered fruits and leaves of the following herbs are included in the clay pellets, at approximately 3% of the volume of seeds. Derris root (used against beetles), Japanese star anise (goats), Japanese andromeda (cows), Japanese bead tree (small harmful insects), sumac, and so on will protect seeds in the desert, before and after germination, from cows, goats, ants, and other harmful insects. It is also possible, in a region that is completely desert, to make and broadcast seed pellets of fertile jungle soil (black soil). This soil is a treasure house of soil microorganisms and seeds and is of great value in actual use. Also, in the case of broadcast from airplanes, the pellets may break easily, so it is good to coat them with the synthetic resin Polyzol, which is porous and absorbs water well. In place of Polyzol and other high polymers, seaweed paste may be used. In addition to the fact that the fungi in the clay pellet described here facilitate the development of the seeds and the bittern and herbs protect them from being eaten; the slaked lime improves the soil. Thus, even in vast desert areas, where conditions for germination are poor, revegetation can be achieved simply by sowing the seeds, without concern about time or place. The practical results achieved in Africa, the United States, India, and the Philippines are backed up scientifically by my fifty years of following the natural farming method of no cultivation, no fertilizers, and no agricultural chemicals. This pellet is not limited to the above mentioned examples, but can be put to use in various ways, given suitable changes. For example, it is possible to add seeds inoculated with fungi to kneaded clay and push the mixture through a screen or net.
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through the straw. Rain water alone is sufficient for the plants during June and July; in August fresh water is run through the field about once a week without being allowed to stand. The autumn harvest is now at hand. Such is the yearly cycle of rice/winter grain cultivation by the natural method. The seeding and harvesting so closely follow the natural pattern that it could be considered a natural process rather than an agricultural technique. P9
International interest
In 1979 when Fukuoka was in the United States he understood intuitively that rain does not fall from the heaven; it rather springs forth from the ground. In 1986 during his second visit in the United States, the director of the Committee for Desertification of the United Nations in New York asked Fukuoka to develop a project for the prevention of the desertification in Iran and Iraq. Since that time Fukuoka had been travelling for more than twenty years all over the world, leading efforts for the regreening of the deserts in Asia, Africa and Europe. The Fukuokas farming method has gained recognition in the international scientific community. More than twenty five years ago, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, after a long investigation, officially announced that Fukuokas method was the simplest and most effective method in growing grains and the best one from an economic point of view. In Greece, the first effort for the reforestation of barren mountains and hills started in 1993 by a group of volunteers. They started realizing small sowings and in 1998, with the participation of Fukuoka himself, they organized a 10,000 hectares seeding, the largest ever realized. In 1999, they established the Natural Farming Centre in Klisohori, near the town of Edessa, in Northern Greece. In 1999, they established the Natural Farming Centre in Klisohori, near the town of Edessa, in Northern Greece. Its goals are: Seeding in Greece and other Mediterranean countries in order to create a green belt from Portlugal to Iran, Iraq. Establishment of vegetable self-sufficiency gardens and natural farms in Greece and abroad. Collecting seeds in collaboration with individuals and groups for the realization of sowings. Practical workshops with students of Primary and Secondary school. Every year, from August to mid-September, volunteers from different parts of the world make clay-balls for the realization of large sowings in Greece. Up to now, similar sowings have taken place: in India, on the initiative of the ex Prime Minister Raman Rao; in China, in cooperation with the Ministry of Forest; in Tanzania; Portugal; Italy; Argentina; and in other countries.
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To learn more
http://www.naturalfarming.eu The texts of Masanobu Fukuoka have been translated and published in many countries: The Ultimatum of GOD NATURE The One-Straw Revolution The revolution of God, Man and Nature, Masanobu Fukuoka The Road Back to Nature The Natural Way of Farming, Masanobu Fukuoka
Who to contact
For more information and to establish collaborations, you may contact: NATURAL FARMING CENTER OF GREECE Panos Manikis Director Tel. 00-30-23810-27312 Direccin: Klisochori, Municipalidad de Edessa 2nd Km de la calle Edessa-Aridea Email : [email protected] Dimitris Desyllas Assistant Natural Farming Center of Greece Tel. 00-30-27440-57355 Email: [email protected]
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The IDEASS Programme - Innovation for Development and South-South Cooperation - is part of the international cooperation Initiative ART. IDEASS grew out of the major world summits in the 1990s and the Millennium General Assembly and it gives priority to cooperation between protagonists in the South, with the support of the industrialised countries. The aim of IDEASS is to strengthen the effectiveness of local development processes through the increased use of innovations for human development. By means of southsouth cooperation projects, it acts as a catalyst for the spread of social, economic and technological innovations that favour economic and social development at the local level. The innovations promoted may be products, technologies, or social, economic or cultural practices. For more information about the IDEASS Programme, please consult the website: www.ideassonline.org.
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ART - Support for territorial and thematic networks of co-operation for human development - is an international co-operation initiative that brings together programmes and activities of several United Nations Agencies. ART promotes a new type of multilateralism in which the United Nations system works with governments to promote the active participation of local communities and social actors from the South and the North. ART shares the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals. In the interested countries, ART promotes and supports national co-operation framework programmes for Governance and Local Development - ART GOLD. These Programs create an organized institutional context that allows the various national and international actors to contribute to a countrys human development in co-ordinated and complementary ways. Participants include donor countries, United Nations agencies, regional governments, city and local governments, associations, universities, private sector organizations and non-governmental organizations. It is in the framework of ART GOLD Programmes where IDEASS innovations are promoted and where cooperation projects are implemented for their transfer, whenever required by local actors.