The One-Straw Revolution - Multiworld India

The Terms for Abandoning ChemicalsToday Japanese rice growing stands at an important crossroads.Farmers and specialists are confused as to which path to follow-tocontinue paddy transplanting, or to move over to direct seeding, and ifthe latter, to choose cultivation or non-cultivation. I have been saying forthe past twenty years that direct seeding non-cultivation will eventuallyprove to be the best way. The speed with which direct seeding is alreadyspreading in Okayama Prefecture is eye-opening.There are those, however, who say that turning to a non-chemicalagriculture to supply the nation's food is unthinkable. They say thatchemical treatments must be used to control the three great ricediseases-stem rot, rice blast disease, and bacterial leaf blight. But iffarmers would stop using weak, "improved" seed varieties, stop addingtoo much nitrogen to the soil, and reduce the amount of irrigation waterso that strong roots could develop, these diseases would all but disappearand chemical sprays would become unnecessary.At first, the red clay soil in my fields was weak and unsuited forgrowing rice. Brown spot disease frequently occurred. But as the fieldgradually grew in fertility, the incidence of brown spot disease decreased.Lately there have been no outbreaks at all.70