'Principles of Kyusei Nature Farming' Rev. 'Yasushi Matsumoto' - 1. It must produce high quality food to enhance human health. 2. It must be economically and spiritually beneficial to both producers and consumers. 3. It must be sustainable and easily practiced. 4. It must conform to nature and protect the global environment. 5. It must produce enough food to support the world population.

Principles of Kyusei Nature Farming

Rev. Yasushi Matsumoto

Many people tend to believe that today we are enjoying the most prosperous period and highest level of civilization in the history of mankind. However, a truly civilized society is one in which the quality of life is assured. When considered in this context it is apparent that our quality of life on this planet is increasingly threatened by continuing degradation of our national resource base, and pollution of our global environment. Degradation of our agricultural lands by wind and water erosion, desertification, and salinization in some countries has led to an alarming decline in soil productivity. Also, the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has caused extensive pollution of soil, water and air that has adversely affected food safety and quality, and has endangered human and animal health. Thus, it is not surprising that during the last decade, many consumer, environmental and farmer’s organizations began to seek alternatives to chemical-intensive farming methods.

One such alternative is 'Kyusei Nature Farming'. Kyusei Nature Farming is a farming method which follows the ideals and principles of nature farming as advocated by 'Mokichi Okada', a Japanese philosopher and naturalist who founded Sekai Kyusei Kyo in 1935. The word Kyusei in Japanese means “saving,” and broadly interpreted Kyusei Nature Farming implies that the world can be saved through natural or nature farming methods. Kyusei Nature Farming is based on five requirements:

1. It must produce high quality food to enhance human health.
2. It must be economically and spiritually beneficial to both producers and consumers.
3. It must be sustainable and easily practiced.
4. It must conform to nature and protect the global environment.
5. It must produce enough food to support the world population.