sOn Sat, 22 May 1999, Jeff Owens wrote:
> The book "Healing Harvest" is written by Michio Kushi and is
> part of a series on Macrobiotic cooking. The book doesn't go
> into the history of Nature Farming, but i think that is where
> the ideas are taken from.
>
> It is my understanding that Nature Farming originated in Japan
> and is related to Fukuoka's work. The Macrobiotic part is also
> from Japan and both ideas can be difficult to understand. The
> first reaction many people have is to dismiss these ideas as
> unscientific or strange.
My only real problem with macrobiotics is what I see as a
bias against foods native to the Americas. At the same time as we are
supposed to eat seasonally available foods we are to eat rice. Rice
doesn't grow here.
>
> >From a eco standpoint these ideas are very appealing. None of the
> other farming/gardening methods work with nature as closely. The
> one criticism that keeps occurring is that the methods may work in
> Japan, but they don't work here. The weeds are too strong or
> some other problem keeps Nature Farming from working.
Or the plant selections are based on a Japanese model which will not work
in a North American context. What little I know of the methodolgy, it
should work, even on grass, as long as you are working with plants that
fit the place.
>
> If anyone has had success with Fukuoka's ideas i would love to
> hear more about it.
Someday, I'll actually get Fukuoka's books, and read his ideas for myself
rather than through the filter of others reading.
sph
Sandra P. Hoffman [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.flora.org/sandra/
It's a thankless job, but
I've got a lot of karma to burn off.
