ISBN: 9781603584180 Year Added to Catalog: 2011 Book Format: Hardcover Dimensions: 5 x 8 Number of Pages: 216 Book Publisher: Chelsea Green Release Date: May 14, 2012 Web Product ID: 671
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Sowing Seeds in the Desert
Natural Farming, Global Restoration, and Ultimate Food Security
Kirkus Review: From the late author of bestseller The One Straw Revolution (1978) comes a similar book about a philosophical approach to natural farming.
"The fundamental concept of a natural farm,” writes Fukuoka (The Natural Way of Farming, 1985, etc.), “begins with intuitively grasping nature's original form, where many varieties of plants and animals live together as a harmonious whole, joyfully and in mutual benefit.” In this English translation of the author’s last work (first published in Japan in 1996), he decries the "indiscriminate deforestation and large-scale agriculture carried out in order to support the materialistic cultures of the developed countries.” This process has created a condition called “desertification,” the inability of the soil to grow anything. Because humans have lost their connection with nature, Fukuoka advocates foregoing harmful modern methods of farming in favor of a simpler approach. Based primarily on the success of his farm in Japan, the author believes the solution lies in aerial distribution of a large variety of plants via clay seed pellets, the use of cover crops, and a no-tilling approach to the soil. By seeding a wide variety of species in the desert, nature will select those plants best suited for a particular location. These plants will flourish, drawing water from deep within the earth and thereby allowing other plants and trees to prosper. Taking his philosophy to Africa, India and the United States, among other places, Fukuoka demonstrated that, given sufficient time, seeding fallow earth with vegetables, plants and trees created a lush setting. More a spiritual analysis of farming methods than a hands-on approach, the book still provides viable and simple solutions to the world's increased need for productive land.
An enlightened method for reclaiming the barren soils of the world.
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