The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming

During the past forty years Masanobu Fukuoka has witnessed with indignation the de- generation of both the land and of Japanese society. In those years the Japanese have followed single-mindedly the American model of economic and industrial development, abandoning their rich heritage of working closely and simply with their land. Mr. Fukuoka, however, was determined not to forsake traditional farming. Instead, he refined it so that his natural farming method requires less labor and less disruption of nature than any other, while maintaining the same yields per acre as his farmer neighbors.

In this highly sensitive and thought- provoking work, Mr, Fukuoka describes the events that led to the development of his natural farming methods and the impact that it has had on his land, himself, and the thousands of people he has taught. He discusses the method itself and why he believes it offers a practical, steady-state model of how society can live on a foundation of permanence and simplicity.