Natural Farming

By Cho Han Kyu President of Janong Natural Farming Institute March, 200 !Natural Farming is an inno"ati"e ne# method of farming that utili$es the nature%s &o#ers for ma'imum &erformance rather than human inter"ention( Natural Farming uses natural materials instead of chemicals as its uni)ue in&uts( Materials are locally a"aila*le and chea&, and the farming in&uts are made *y the farmers instead of *eing &urchased from the mar+et, thus lo#ering cost for the farmers and con"erting #aste into resources( It does not use her*icide, &esticide, anti*iotic, hormones or other artificial chemicals( It also does not till the land #ith machines( Natural Farming is &racticed in o"er t#enty countries, recogni$ed of its strength to &roduce more at less cost( Being !farmerfriendly,. it is also *eing used as a tool to im&ro"e the li"ing of the &oor farmers in the third #orld(. Culling innocent animals /s I #rite this 0nglish &reface, my heart is dee&ly grie"ed *y the ne#s of millions of chic+ens and duc+s *eing culled and slaughtered all o"er /sia( Bird flu e&idemic, the toll of #hich is not limited to animals, is *ringing fear and chaos, #hilst our memory of 1/21 31e"ere /cute 2es&iratory 1yndrome4 li"es still so fresh( 5nly #ee+s ago, #e #ere co&ing #ith the ne#ly-risen mad co# disease( 5nly moments *efore that, #e #ere fighting against foot-and-mouth disease( Pig cholera also caused the culling of many animals and the sorro# of numerous farmers( It seems as if disease de"elo&s one after another, a ne# one emerges once a cure found( Human continues to fight, armed #ith &o#erful #ea&ons of science( But is there an end to this #ar6 /ren%t there any #ays of reacting other than fighting6 7e &ercei"e disease as the enemy and the Nature%s un&redicta*ility as the !a'is of e"il(. 7e thin+ #e are doing the *est to &rotect our li"estoc+ and cro&s from such e"il threats and *elie"e the #ar holy and 8ust( Is it really so6 /ren%t there any human-incurred as&ects that #e need to address instead of sim&ly *eing relie"ed at the magnitude and efficiency of num*ers of li"ing creatures that #e slaughter6 If indeed our slaughter is a result of or lin+ed to human misdoing, then our sins are more dee&ly rooted than #e imagine( 7hat is the fundamental distinction *et#een good and e"il any#ay6 It is time that #e as+ oursel"es9 #hat ha"e #e *een doing to the li"ing creatures6 7hat ha"e #e *een doing to the Nature6 7hat ha"e #e *een doing to oursel"es6 /nd #hat #ill or shall *e done ne't6

Changes in farming trends In Korea, traditional farming methods started to disa&&ear #ith the intrusion of foreign militarists and corru&ted *usinessmen in the early 20th century( !Farming of e'&loitation. *egan to s&read( ;nder the name of *etter &roducti"ity, farmers #ere forced to o*ey the tide of change( For 0 years, this method #as trans&lanted and the ne# generation of farmers gre# u& +no#ing this as the only #ay of farming( <hen, #ith the end of 7orld 7ar II, the #estern culture and thin+ing rushed into Korea( <he farming of e'&loitation #as su*stituted, this time #ith a !farming of destruction and +illing(. No# #hat is foreign has *ecome #hat is good( <hose #ho try to de"elo& something indigenous, something that truly *enefits the farmers, and something that lo"es the regions are *eing treated as fools( Come to thin+ of it, the farming 6 our "ery *ac+*one of life 6 has lost a sense of direction( Natural Farming, too early a birth Chemical fertili$ers and &esticides #ere introduced to our hometo#n #hen I #as little( Ha"ing &racticed farming myself since *irth, I could not easily agree #ith the ne#, socalled scientific agriculture( 1o I #ent in another direction( In :=>?, I organi$ed a grou& of farmers that studied #ays of higher yield #ithout using these chemicals that also re)uired less la*or( 7e sa# the miraculous *oost of &roduction that chemical fertili$ers did, so #e #anted to emulate it the natural #ay( 5ur trial #as successful, #e confirmed methods that &roduced more at less cost #ith *etter )uality( I named this ne# methodology !Natural Farming(. It #as esta*lished *y &utting together my farming e'&erience, insight and learning I ac)uired from different gurus( Natural Farming since it is not my original #or+, I ha"e &ut together and de"elo&ed further the insights of other &ioneers( 5ne should *e honest a*out the origin and inde*ting of one%s #or+( It could not ha"e *een *etter had the go"ernment recogni$ed my effort and results, and too+ it into its &olicy 6 e"en only &artially( /fter all no#adays !organic farming. 6 a term non-e'istent then 6 has *ecome a strong trend #hich e"ery go"ernment is $ealous to &ursue( But in the >0%s, it #as different( I #as treated as an anti-go"ernment criminal( I #as threatened, im&risoned, and se"erely tortured( <he authoritarian military go"ernment sus&ected me of *eing a communist( <heir heart #as not *ig enough to em*race one man%s criticism against the chemical-intensi"e, destructi"e farming they tried to trans&lant onto their motherland%s soil( 5ne man%s suffering #as *ut too small for the #orld to hear( /lthough I still carry the mental and &hysical trauma ac)uired then, I *ear no hatred to those #ho tortured me( For the cause lied not in men *ut in time too unri&e(

Great teachers of Natural Farming I shall attri*ute Natural Farming to three formless teachers and three human teachers( <he three formless are @od, Nature, and conscience( I daresay that it #as the #isdom of the Holy Bi*le that I gained numerous insights into the truth of life and creation( For it is not the #ord of man *ut the "oice of the omniscience( 1econdly, Nature is also a great teacher( Nature re"eals its secrets #hen human hum*les himself( 7hen you are #illing to learn, your eyes #ill o&en, #hen you dare to defeat the Nature, your eyes do not see *eyond the +no#ledge you ma+e( <hirdly, I ha"e *een faithful to my conscience( I made choice that ans#ered my conscience not my greed( I held my faith strong that use of chemicals shall *e su&&ressed, rights of cro&s and li"estoc+ shall *e res&ected, and farming shall *e a ha&&y, healthy and &roducti"e la*or( I met the three human teachers in Ja&an( /s I #as fortunate enough to meet the three, I ha"e #ondered if the three had *een &ut together, #hat a great &icture it #ould ma+e( 1o in my "ery limited and hum*le ca&acity, I ha"e stri"ed to &ut them together( /fter A0 years of numerous trial and errors I finally did come u& #ith this !Natural Farming(. I tried to de"elo& one that suits the Korean climate, *ut no# I +no# that the &rinci&les of Natural Farming can *e ta+en to any &lace, any climate( :( <he first guru, Bamagishi Mio$o <he first teacher I met #as Bamagishi Mio$o, the founder of Bamagishism( He #as not a theorist, he #as a farmer full of lo"e and res&ect for life( He &ut the *asic rights of chic+ens *efore &roducti"ity( <o him, s&irit and mind #as more im&ortant than technology and management( His teaching has much im&lication on modern science that treats life only as material or machine( 2( <he second guru, 1hi*ada @enshi Mrs( 1hi*ada and old lady @amei guided me #hen I "isited Mr( 1hi*ada%s house in 5cto*er :=>A( It #as an ordinary farmhouse #ith &addy and field( In the center of the field #as a small hut #here there #ere many Ja&anese cedar *arrels full of en$ymes( 5ne of the *arrels had *eans *a+ed :0 years ago( I could not *elie"e my eyes #hen I sa# those *eans s&routing( I &inched my chee+s to ma+e sure I #asn%t dreamingC Mrs( 1hi*ada told me that !among trees, the cedar is strongest and among fruits, clematis is the strongest(. <hrough sensei 1hi*ada, I o&ened my eyes to the remar+a*le #orld of en$ymes and microorganisms( I still cherish his *oo+, !<he <rue Meaning of 0n$ymes(. D( <he third guru, 5ino ;eyas My third teacher #as 5ino ;eyas #ho made first the Kyoho culti"ars in Ja&an( I ha"e read more than do$en times his *oo+ titled, !<he <heory of Ne# Culti"ation <echnology(. <he straightfor#ard logic on &hysiological and *eha"ioral &attern of &lants ga"e me #isdom to see the &lants #ith a ne# &ers&ecti"e, and his theory of the !Nutriti"e Cycle. has ena*led me to tal+ #ith the &lants( 7hen a #oman is &regnant, she has morning sic+ness( 7hy is it so6 It%s *ecause the

*alance of nutrition is *ro+en since another li"ing organism is in her *ody( Eifferent +inds of nutrition are needed for her *a*y, *ut she cannot &ro"ide enough of them at once( 7hat &regnant #omen need and li+e to eat is something sour 3acidic4 and this *elongs to &hos&horic acid( <hen I reali$ed that floral differentiation in &lants is the same &henomenon as morning sic+ness of humans( I tried a&&lying &hos&horic acid 3P4 at that &eriod, the result #as astounding( -A red &e&&ers or egg&lants fruited in a node that used to o&en only one( /&&lying the right in&ut according to the nutriti"e cycle, I found that &lants sustained high yield( <he same #as true for li"estoc+( Progress in one-way street 7e are li"ing on a dream( 7e ha"e dreamt and still dream that the use of chemicals #ill increase &roducti"ity and &rofita*ility( Korean farmers ha"e called chemical fertili$er the !golden rain., for after this rain sho#ered, cro&s gre# as if enchanted( No# #e +no# #hat these fertili$ers do to our soil in ma+ing short-term "isi*le outcome( No# #e +no# #hat the her*icide does to the &lant, microorganisms, soil and most im&ortantly, to us( Cro&s and li"estoc+ are smeared #ith her*icide, &esticide, fungicide, gro#th hormones, anti*iotics, colorants and much more( But the truth is !all is not gold that glitters(. 5ur age is mar+ed *y high &roducti"ity historically unseen( More is &roduced than e"er *ut the distri*ution is not so e)ual( Poor countries and &eo&le get &oorer, #hile the rich get richer( Farming as a 8o* has *ecome synonymous to &o"erty #hile glo*al com&etition sets more *urdens on small farmers( Fong ago has farming sei$ed to *e a tool for li"ing if not for inde*ting( In Korea, in the &ast, farmers *orro#ed money to farm, *ut no# they *orro# money to &ay *ac+ the money( 0"en as #e en8oy the un&recedented ad"ancement of science, and &roduction incor&orated therein, #e also #itness the sustaining threat to &u*lic health e"en in the #ealthy countries( 5*esity, dia*etes, sclerosis of the arteries and many more disease of e'tra"agance-origin ta+e their tolls( Ha$ardous chemicals contained in food and en"ironment threaten us and our ne't generations( Ba*ies are *orn malformed( Children suffer from ne#ly emerging diseases such as ato&y( <hey are no# often "ictims of disease that #ere thought to *elong only to adults such as cancer, high *lood &ressure and dia*etes( Po"erty and &oor li"ing conditions continue to ail third #orld &eo&le( 5n the other hand, I also hear !good. ne#s( It #as a team of as&ired Koreans 3Er H#ang 7oo 1u+4 that *rought *rea+through *y successfully de"elo&ing a re-nucleated cell into a stem cell( 1cience is doing more and more miracles( /griculture is ma+ing remar+a*le &rogress integrated #ith the *io-, chemical-, genetic-, and mechanical-accom&lishments of science( 7e ha"e corns that are genetically modified to #ithstand hea"ier dose of her*icide( 7e ha"e state-of-the-art, fully automated chic+en farms #here the sun shines for 22 hours a day( 7e ha"e &o#erful chemicals that ma+e *oost &lant and animal gro#th( 7e ha"e su&er-si$ed eels to &romise *etter &rofit(

Farming is no# hardly distinguisha*le from mechanics( Fife is treated as a tool for &roducti"ity( 0"erything is so efficient, scientific, and immaculate( But is it really so6 Eon%t #e #itness right *efore our eyes the scientific farming trou*led #ith insurmounta*le and consecuti"e diseases, and often 8eo&ardi$ing human health #ith contaminated food6 1cience and technology also alienate those inaccessi*le to such +no#ledge and inca&a*le of in"estment( 7hat meaning does science ha"e to the &oorest farmer in the third #orld *ut as a more efficient and arduous system of e'&loiting la*or designed *y engineers, in"estors and managers6 Think reverse: rogress in another direction 5ur efforts, mostly good-#illed, tend to focus in one direction( 7e &ercei"e &rogress as a one-#ay street( By de"elo&ing science, furthering technology, and &iling in"estment, #e *elie"e #e can ma+e im&ro"ements( I am not saying this is #rong, I only #ant to &oint out that #e can thin+ other#ise( Instead of relying on ne#est scientific achie"ements #e can see+ for #isdom of utili$ing the Nature%s &o#ers( Instead of relying on *ig in"estment, #e can see+ a #ay of farming that !unnecessitates. cash( Instead of using mar+et-*ought chemicals, #e can use natural materials 3and life4 that lie around us and cost no money( Instead of regarding contamination of soil and #ater as ine"ita*le, #e can &ractice a #ay of farming that reha*ilitates the ecology( Instead of doing e"erything oursel"es, #e can let the nature do all the #or+( Because our +no#ledge is al#ays fragmentary #hereas the Nature +no#s the #hole *ut ne"er s&ea+s( <his is the *asic &hiloso&hy of Natural Farming( Nature does it *etter( Human are a &art of the Nature not its master, our #isdom lies in finding harmony not surmounting it( But alas, our smart ci"ili$ation is going for#ard only in the direction of surmounting the Nature( 7hy search so far #hen ans#er lies so close6 Natural Farming, too early a birth Chemical fertili$ers and &esticides #ere introduced to our hometo#n #hen I #as little( Ha"ing &racticed farming myself since *irth, I could not easily agree #ith the ne#, socalled scientific agriculture( 1o I #ent in another direction( In :=>?, I organi$ed a grou& of farmers that studied #ays of higher yield #ithout using these chemicals that also re)uired less la*or( 7e sa# the miraculous *oost of &roduction that chemical fertili$ers did, so #e #anted to emulate it the natural #ay( 5ur trial #as successful, #e confirmed methods that &roduced more at less cost #ith *etter )uality( I named this ne# methodology !Natural Farming(. It #as esta*lished *y &utting together my farming e'&erience, insight and learning I ac)uired from different gurus( Natural Farming since it is not my original #or+, I ha"e &ut together and de"elo&ed further the insights of other &ioneers( 5ne should *e honest a*out the origin

and inde*ting of one%s #or+( It could not ha"e *een *etter had the go"ernment recogni$ed my effort and results, and too+ it into its &olicy 6 e"en only &artially( /fter all no#adays !organic farming. 6 a term non-e'istent then 6 has *ecome a strong trend #hich e"ery go"ernment is $ealous to &ursue( But in the >0%s, it #as different( I #as treated as an anti-go"ernment criminal( I #as threatened, im&risoned, and se"erely tortured( <he authoritarian military go"ernment sus&ected me of *eing a communist( <heir heart #as not *ig enough to em*race one man%s criticism against the chemical-intensi"e, destructi"e farming they tried to trans&lant onto their motherland%s soil( 5ne man%s suffering #as *ut too small for the #orld to hear( /lthough I still carry the mental and &hysical trauma ac)uired then, I *ear no hatred to those #ho tortured me( For the cause lied not in men *ut in time too unri&e( Progress in one-way street 7e are li"ing on a dream( 7e ha"e dreamt and still dream that the use of chemicals #ill increase &roducti"ity and &rofita*ility( Korean farmers ha"e called chemical fertili$er the !golden rain., for after this rain sho#ered, cro&s gre# as if enchanted( No# #e +no# #hat these fertili$ers do to our soil in ma+ing short-term "isi*le outcome( No# #e +no# #hat the her*icide does to the &lant, microorganisms, soil and most im&ortantly, to us( Cro&s and li"estoc+ are smeared #ith her*icide, &esticide, fungicide, gro#th hormones, anti*iotics, colorants and much more( But the truth is !all is not gold that glitters(. 5ur age is mar+ed *y high &roducti"ity historically unseen( More is &roduced than e"er *ut the distri*ution is not so e)ual( Poor countries and &eo&le get &oorer, #hile the rich get richer( Farming as a 8o* has *ecome synonymous to &o"erty #hile glo*al com&etition sets more *urdens on small farmers( Fong ago has farming sei$ed to *e a tool for li"ing if not for inde*ting( In Korea, in the &ast, farmers *orro#ed money to farm, *ut no# they *orro# money to &ay *ac+ the money( 0"en as #e en8oy the un&recedented ad"ancement of science, and &roduction incor&orated therein, #e also #itness the sustaining threat to &u*lic health e"en in the #ealthy countries( 5*esity, dia*etes, sclerosis of the arteries and many more disease of e'tra"agance-origin ta+e their tolls( Ha$ardous chemicals contained in food and en"ironment threaten us and our ne't generations( Ba*ies are *orn malformed( Children suffer from ne#ly emerging diseases such as ato&y( <hey are no# often "ictims of disease that #ere thought to *elong only to adults such as cancer, high *lood &ressure and dia*etes( Po"erty and &oor li"ing conditions continue to ail third #orld &eo&le( 5n the other hand, I also hear !good. ne#s( It #as a team of as&ired Koreans 3Er H#ang 7oo 1u+4 that *rought *rea+through *y successfully de"elo&ing a re-nucleated cell into a stem cell( 1cience is doing more and more miracles( /griculture is ma+ing remar+a*le &rogress integrated #ith the *io-, chemical-, genetic-, and mechanical-accom&lishments of science( 7e ha"e corns that are genetically modified to #ithstand hea"ier dose of

>

her*icide( 7e ha"e state-of-the-art, fully automated chic+en farms #here the sun shines for 22 hours a day( 7e ha"e &o#erful chemicals that ma+e *oost &lant and animal gro#th( 7e ha"e su&er-si$ed eels to &romise *etter &rofit( Farming is no# hardly distinguisha*le from mechanics( Fife is treated as a tool for &roducti"ity( 0"erything is so efficient, scientific, and immaculate( But is it really so6 Eon%t #e #itness right *efore our eyes the scientific farming trou*led #ith insurmounta*le and consecuti"e diseases, and often 8eo&ardi$ing human health #ith contaminated food6 1cience and technology also alienate those inaccessi*le to such +no#ledge and inca&a*le of in"estment( 7hat meaning does science ha"e to the &oorest farmer in the third #orld *ut as a more efficient and arduous system of e'&loiting la*or designed *y engineers, in"estors and managers6 Think reverse: rogress in another direction 5ur efforts, mostly good-#illed, tend to focus in one direction( 7e &ercei"e &rogress as a one-#ay street( By de"elo&ing science, furthering technology, and &iling in"estment, #e *elie"e #e can ma+e im&ro"ements( I am not saying this is #rong, I only #ant to &oint out that #e can thin+ other#ise( Instead of relying on ne#est scientific achie"ements #e can see+ for #isdom of utili$ing the Nature%s &o#ers( Instead of relying on *ig in"estment, #e can see+ a #ay of farming that !unnecessitates. cash( Instead of using mar+et-*ought chemicals, #e can use natural materials 3and life4 that lie around us and cost no money( Instead of regarding contamination of soil and #ater as ine"ita*le, #e can &ractice a #ay of farming that reha*ilitates the ecology( Instead of doing e"erything oursel"es, #e can let the nature do all the #or+( Because our +no#ledge is al#ays fragmentary #hereas the Nature +no#s the #hole *ut ne"er s&ea+s( <his is the *asic &hiloso&hy of Natural Farming( Nature does it *etter( Human are a &art of the Nature not its master, our #isdom lies in finding harmony not surmounting it( But alas, our smart ci"ili$ation is going for#ard only in the direction of surmounting the Nature( 7hy search so far #hen ans#er lies so close6

!ethod of Natural Farming Natural Farming and organic farming are different( Fet me introduce some uni)ue &oints a*out Natural Farming9 :( 0n"ironment-friendly Natural Farming is a sustaina*le farming( It ma+es all in&uts from natural materials, o*ser"es the la# of the Nature and res&ects the rights of cro&s and li"estoc+( It heals the soil slashed *y chemicals, her*icide and machines( 7here Natural Farming is &racticed, the soil and #ater *ecome clean and ecology is reco"ered( It is e"en *eing used as a tool to fight desertification( 2( 2es&ect for life Natural Farming res&ects life( It o&&oses human e'&loitation on life( Ironical it may sound, res&ecting the nature of the life is the *est #ay to achie"e to& )uality and yield( 7e &re"ent disease rather than curing #ith medicines( 7e rear healthy animals rather than feeding them hormones and anti*iotics( Cro&s and li"estoc+ reared *y Natural Farming are "ery healthy( <hey ha"e almost no disease and sho# es&ecially strong resistance to climatic fluctuation( Natural Farming orchards in Korea #ere least damaged *y the notorious ty&hoon that ruined other farms in 200D( D( High )uality Peo&le commonly thin+ that organic farming &roduces smaller yields, lo#er )uality and smaller-si$ed fruits( In Natural Farming it is the o&&osite( 7e do not go *ac+ to the &ast, #e ta+e a lea& into the future( Natural Farming &roducts ha"e much higher nutritional contents( Protein, amino acid, crude fat and other essential nutrient #ere identified to *e as much as D00 &ercent higher than ordinary &roducts( Chemical residue such as nitrate is almost undetecta*le( 3K/02I, :==>4 ( No &esticide Natural Farming does not use &esticide( Pesticides do not only +ill insects, they reside in the soil and fruit( 7hen a*sor*ed, it can do serious harm to our *odies and e"en our ne't generations( Instead of using to'ic chemicals, #e use light, alcohol, aroma, &oisonous &lant and the li+e to control &ests( More sur&risingly, an ecology that reco"ered the natural *alance #ill dro& in the &ests and disease occurrence( Natural Farming does &recisely that( Most of our farmers are certified *y the go"ernment as lo# or $ero &esticide( A( No her*icide Natural Farming does not use her*icide( Killing the #eeds #ith chemical is not the only solution nor is it #ise( Her*icide is lethal to human( Ho# can it only +ill the #eeds6 Natural Farming uses the #eeds rather than +illing them( 7e actually gro# the #ild grass such as rye and clo"er for mulching( Natural Farming orchards are green #ith grass

gro#ing *et#een the fruit trees( <he grass &re"ents soil erosion, holds moisture, &ro&agates microorganism, &roduces organic fertili$er, im&ro"es soil "entilation and su&&resses the &ests( Ho# can it only *e a thief of nutrients6 >( No mechanical tillage Instead of using machines for &lo#ing, #e use earth#orms, microorganisms and small animals( Machine can &lo# 20 centimeters at *est, #hereas earth#orms #ill dig ? meters( <he e'cretions of the earth#orms turn into the *est soil( /fter &racticing Natural Farming, the soil inflates li+e a *alloon( 5ur little #or+ers tilled so #ell that your hand #ill slide in as if into a soft ca+e( Ma+ing soft soil for the &lant #ill actually #ea+en its roots( Because you don%t till the land, the grass seeds in the soil do not come u& to the surface( In other #ords, after the grass on the surface ha"e germinated and died, you #ill ha"e no more #eed &ro*lemsC No tillage and no her*icide are lin+ed( ?( No chemical fertili$er Natural Farming does not use chemical fertili$er( Nor does it follo# the common &ractice of a&&lying o"er half of the fertili$er as *ase manure( Cro&s #ill *ecome #ea+ if gi"en too much food at early stage( Nitrogen, &hos&horous, &otassium, calcium and all other elements that #ould *e commonly gi"en in the form of chemical fertili$er are su*stituted #ith Natural Farming in&uts( Fish amino acid &ro"ides nitrogen, eggshells gi"e calcium, animal *ones are source of &hos&horic acid( 5ur Natural Farming in&uts are not only chea& *ut highly effecti"e( G( No &ollution Natural Farming animal houses do not emit any #aste#ater( <here is no need to install an e'&ensi"e treatment machine( /ll the treatment is done right on the floor itself( /s soon as feces fall on the floor, it is )uic+ly decom&osed *y the &o#erful microorganisms( Floor is not made from concrete, it is touching the soil, it is ali"e( 2ice stra#, sa#dust, fresh soil are used for flooring( 0"en if you use a Natural Farming animal house for many years, you do not need to remo"e the feces( <hey are decom&osed so do not &ile u& or smell( It is a common sight to see our farmers eating their meals inside the &ig sty( 5ur method is re"olutionary considering the serious &ollution that li"estoc+ #aste#ater are doing to our ri"ers( =( No artificial heating 5ur animal houses do not &ro"ide any artificial heating( 2ather than consuming fossil fuel or electricity #e thin+ it is #iser to de"elo& the animal%s natural resistance against cold( / healthy animal does not need such human-im&ro"ised hel&( Natural Farming chic+s gro# short, tough and dense hair #hereas ordinary chic+s ha"e long, soft and s&arse hair( In e'tremely cold climate, #e use heat from fermentation of com&ost( :0( Natural feed made *y farmers Natural Farming animals do not only eat commercial feed from the mar+et( <hey eat natural food &re&ared *y farmers #ith lo"e and affection( Chic+s are gi"en #ith #hole *ro#n rice grains and *am*oo lea"es immediately after hatching( <ough food de"elo&s

their intestines( 7e do not gi"e anti*iotics, hormones, colorants or other chemicals to our animals( 7e gi"e them #hat nature has gi"en them to eat( 7e use grass, rice hus+, rice *ran, left-o"er food, sa#dust and e"en soil for feed( <hey go through our s&ecial treatment and assorting( ::( Farming in&uts are made *y farmers 5ne of the most im&ortant as&ects of Natural Farming is that the farmers ma+e #hat they need( Fertili$ers, soil im&ro"ers, &est controllers, disease cure are all made *y the farmers themsel"es using only natural materials *ased on the Nutriti"e Cycle theory( 7e do not sim&ly *uy materials from the mar+et and follo# the manual( 7e ma+e #hat #e need and follo# the &rinci&le of the nature( By doing so, #e sa"e money and &erform *etter( 5ur field, hills, forest, ri"ers, ocean and all surroundings are full of useful materials that are tools of our farming, only if #e o&en our eyes( <his is #hy Natural Farming can *e a &o#erful tool for the third #orld farmers #ho cannot afford to *uy e'&ensi"e im&orted farming in&uts( 5ur im&ortant in&uts include Indigenous Microorganism 3IM54, Fermented Plant Juice 3FPJ4, 5riental Her*al Nutrient 35HN4, Factic /cid Bacteria 3F/B4, Fish /mino /cid 3F/B4, 7ater-solu*le Calcium 37C/4, 7ater-solu*le Calcium Phos&hate 37CP4, and Insect /ttractant 3I/4( /ll &roduced at home easily and chea&ly( Most im&ortantly, they #or+C :2( Nutriti"e Cycle <heory 7e care for the cro&s and li"estoc+ according to the !Nutriti"e Cycle <heory(. It is a theory that ena*les us to read the changing gro#th stages of a &lant or animal( 7e a&&ly fertili$er, feed, or &rescri&tion &recisely according to this cycle( Natural Farming is a "ery ela*orate, com&licated and &recise method that denies !s&ray-and-forget. a&&roach( <he general idea is that the cro&s and li"estoc+ need nitrogen #hen young, &hos&horic acid during adolescence and calcium after maturity( <he amount of food they need #ill also change constantly( Natural Farming em&hasi$es the right use of the right material, at the right stage, in the right )uantity( Talk only with results Natural Farming is a*sent of four most notorious #or+s in farming( First, #eeding is unnecessary *ecause it is controlled #ith #ild grass mulching( 1econd, tillage and maintaining e'&ensi"e machine is unnecessary *ecause #e let the nature till itself( <hird, chemical fertili$er is unnecessary *ecause fertili$ers are &roduced sufficiently on the soil itself( Fourth, &esticide is unnecessary *ecause insects are controlled naturally and a healthy ecology #ill dro& in the occurrence of &ests( No theory sur&asses the results( Natural Farming tal+s only #ith the results( It #ould not ha"e *een so long-li"ed and #ide-s&read #ere it only a collection of good-to-the-ear stories( 7e are recei"ing email from our <hai friends that their Natural Farming chic+ens did not get any *ird flu, #e ha"e Chinese friends #ho are ha&&y to dro& the &roduction cost, #e ha"e Natural Farming *eing introduced in <H in Malaysia, #e ha"e Ja&anese

:0

*ig farmers using NF for *ig &rofit, #e ha"e /frican friends that use NF to im&ro"e their li"ing( @o"ernments, N@5s, non-&rofit organi$ations and of course farmers are coming for training( 7e are destroying and undermining the "ery &lanet #e stand( <he suffering of li"ing creatures arising therefore is ongoing, *e it "isi*le or in"isi*le, a&&arent or latent( I ha"e a small ho&e that this Natural Farming method #ill contri*ute to the alle"iation of &o"erty, disease, en"ironmental destruction, rural de"astation, food ha$ard, and life a*use #orld#ide( /t the age of se"enty, it is my #ish to see Natural Farming act as a li"ing tool for humanity( Fet%s do it together(

::