The One-Straw Revolution - Multiworld India

Four Principlesof Natural FarmingMake your way carefully through these fields. Dragonflies andmoths fly up in a flurry. Honeybees buzz from blossom to blossom. Partthe leaves and you will see insects, spiders, frogs, lizards and many othersmall animals bustling about in the cool shade. Moles and earthwormsburrow beneath the surface.This is a balanced rice field ecosystem. Insect and plant communitiesmaintain a stable relationship here. It is not uncommon for a plantdisease to sweep through this area, leaving the crops in these fieldsunaffected.And now look over at the neighbor's field for a moment. The weedshave all been wiped out by herbicides and cultivation. The soil animalsand insects have been exterminated by poison. The soil has been burnedclean of organic matter and microorganisms by chemical fertilizers. Inthe summer you see farmers at work in the fields, wearing gas masks andlong rubber gloves. These rice fields, which have been farmedcontinuously for over 1,500 years, have now been laid waste by theexploitive farming practices of a single generation.Four PrinciplesThe first is NO CULTIVATION, that is, no plowing or turning of thesoil. For centuries, farmers have assumed33