One of the most important discoveries I made in those early years was that to succeed at natural farming, you have to get rid of your expectations. Such "products" of the mind are often incorrect or unrealistic . . . and can lead you to think you've made a mistake if they're not met.
Masanobu FukuokaLeft alone, the earth maintains its own fertility, in accordance with the orderly cycle of plant and animal life.
Masanobu FukuokaThe healing of the land and the purification of the human spirit is the same process.
Masanobu FukuokaStraw mulch, a ground cover of white clover interplanted with the crops, and temporary flooding all provide effective weed control in my fields.
Masanobu FukuokaWe must find our way back to true nature. We must set ourselves to the task of revitalizing the earth. Regreening the earth, sowing seeds in the desert--that is the path society must follow.
Masanobu FukuokaSpeaking biologically, fruit in a slightly shriveled state is holding its respiration and energy consumption down to the lowest possible level. It is like a person in meditation: his metabolism, respiration, and calorie consumption reach an extremely low level. Even if he fasts, the energy within the body will be conserved. In the same way, when mandarin oranges grow wrinkled, when fruit shrivels, when vegetables wilt, they are in the state that will preserve their food value for the longest possible time.
Masanobu Fukuoka