permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflondon@mindspring.com>]

Date:         Tue, 14 May 2002 06:13:16 -0400
Sender:       Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group
              <SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>
From:         Allan Balliett <igg@IGG.COM>
Subject:      Masanobu Fukuoka and the Close to Nature Garden
this                   Thursday at 7PM at the Blue Ridge Center
 
 Masanobu Fukuoka's influence on  holistic agriculture has been
 enormous. He is that  rare combination of inspiring philosopher and
 astonishingly effective farmer.  More than anyone else, he has
 extended the idea  that we can grow ample high-quality food for
 human's by working with Nature rather than against her. (Check out
 the recently published "Power of Duck" (a study of a very successful
 rice/duck/loach operation in Viet Nam) for an example of how his
 ideas can be applied in the Real World with great environmental and
 economic success.)

  From the Rodale Press:

 ""The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the
 cultivation and perfection of human beings," Masanobu Fukuoka writes
 in his book "The One Straw Revolution." He has spent 30 years
 perfecting his agricultural techniques on his fertile farm in
 southern Japan. Fukuoka says that his approach to agricultural
 problems always starts with the question, "How about not doing such
 and such?" in contrast to most agricultural thinking which
 presupposes that we can improve on nature.

 Mr. Fukuoka has decided not to plow, not to grow rice in flooded
 fields, and not to use machinery to sow or harvest. What he does do
 on his farm is documented in this unique record of a full year of
 overlapping crops."

 This series on human-scale sustainable agriculture, inspired by
 Howard Shapiro's excellent book, GARDENING FOR THE FUTURE OF THE
 EARTH, continues at the Blue Ridge Center in Purcellville, VA
 (www.brces.org), Thursday evenings at 7pm, in the trailor this week.
 It is presented by the Blue Ridge Center intern program. Call or
 email Allan Balliett to reserve a chair: 540 668 6165
 aballiett@brces.org


 April 25 - Rudolf Steiner and Biodynamic Agriculture - Video: Alex
 Podolinsky in Australia

 May 2 - Alan Chadwick and French Intensive Biodynamic Gardening -
 Video: Garden Song

 May 9 - John Jeavons - Biointensive Gardening - Video: Circle of Plenty

 May 16 - Masanobu Fukuoka - One Straw Revolution/Nature Gardening -
 Video: The Close to Nature Garden

 May 23 - Bill Mollison - Permaculture - Video: World Gardener

 May 30 - Elaine Ingham - The Soil Foodweb - Video: Life in the Soil

 --------------------------

 Plan now to attend the 2002 Mid-Atlantic Biodynamic Food and Farming
 Conference at the Blue Ridge Center October 4-6, 2002 in Neersville,
 VA. Featured  speakers include Howard Shapiro, Glen Atkinson, Elaine
 Ingham, Hugh Lovel, Hugh Courtney, James Demeo, Jerry Brunetti, Will
 Winter, and, of course, Mark Shepard. For more info, see
 www.gardeningforthefuture.com (under preparation) or contact Allan
 Balliett at igg@igg.com or 540 668 6165


-- 
L.F.London 
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech