Oh the revelations of these revolutions! I've just read 'The One-Straw Revolution' by Masanobu Fukuoka and I was filled with 'yes-ness'. It just made so much sense. This book was written in 1975 by an agricultural scientist who had turned farmer on his family's land in Japan. Over decades he developed a method of 'no dig' growing that resulted in crop yields rivaling that of the best growers in the country, who were using conventional, more energy intensive methods. Don't discount this no-dig thing, I always left the gardening to my brother, father and grandfather, the result being that my confidence in myself as a gardener was pretty low until recently and even I'm inspired to give this no-dig thing a go.
This book is partly about growing healthy crops, whilst replenishing the earth, via nature's divine tendency to mulch. Oh how I love mulch, and this book has inspired me to mulch with a fervour. And Fukuoka, who died just last year at 95, talks passionately about his feelings that people, nature, spirit, emotions - all aspects of life are connected. I think that many of us know this already.
What I loved about this book was that it largely points to the amazing, way beyond anything we human beans could ever imagine, intelligence, complexity, beauty and sheer power of nature. Ever since I can remember I've had the urge for things to be 'natural'. As a 'grown-up', the more I live, learn and experience, the more certain I feel - that planet earth has got it sussed and if we'd only step out of our way and allow nature to get on with what she's good at, health and balance would return.
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