permaculture

[Robyn Francis <erda@nor.com.au>]

I just received this sad news this morning....

 Remembering a great man: Masanobu Fukuoka

Sadly, natural farming innovator Masanobu Fukuoka passed away yesterday,
Saturday, August 16, 2008, at his home in Iyo, Ehime Prefecture, Japan of
old age. He was 95.

Fukuoka authored a number of books including One Straw Revolution: The
Natural Way of Farming and The Natural Way of farming: The Theory and
Practice of Green Philosophy, both of which are available in English.
Fukuoka taught us to observe nature and work with it rather than trying to
impose our desires on the land. He also popularized the use of seed balls,
which has been used in agriculture and in re-greening projects.

The father of the permaculture movement, Bill Mollison, spoke very highly of
Mr. Fukuoka and said that, before hearing of Fukuoka's work, he could not
see a way to produce grains sustainably, and had not thought they could be
incorporated into permaculture.

Around the world, Fukuoka's work resonated with people and it continues to
be adopted and applied to different conditions around the world. His work
and his teachings remain a great inspiration to us and we will miss him.
http://permaculturetokyo.blogspot.com/search/label/obituary


Personal note:
I had the wonderful privilege of meeting Fukuoka at IPC2 in the US. Prior to
the convergence he joined us for several days on Whiteby Island where I was
doing the Urban Design course with Margrit and Declan Kennedy.
His legacy lives on....
Regards
Robyn