The one straw revolution...

Kane joined Zoobird a few days ago and noted the book "The One Straw Revolution", by Masanobu Fukuoka, Larry Korn, Wendell Berry, and Frances Moore Lappe in his reading list.

Here are some reviews:

"The One-Straw Revolution is one of the founding documents of the alternative food movement, and indispensable to anyone hoping to understand the future of food and agriculture."—Michael Pollan

"Fukuoka's do-nothing approach to farming is not only revolutionary in terms of growing food, but it is also applicable to other aspects of living, (creativity, child-rearing, activism, career, etc.) ÊHis holistic message is needed now more than ever as we search for new ways of approaching the environment, our community and life. ÊIt is time for us all to join his "non-movement"."-Keri Smith author of "How to be an Explorer of the World"

“Japan’s most celebrated alternative farmer...Fukuoka’s vision offers a beacon, a goal, an ideal to strive for.” --Tom Philpott, Grist

“The One-Straw Revolution shows the critical role of locally based agroecological knowledge in developing sustainable farming systems.” –Sustainable Architecture

“With no ploughing, weeding, fertilizers, external compost, pruning or chemicals, his minimalist approach reduces labour time to a fifth of more conventional practices. Yet his success in yields is comparable to more resource-intensive methods…The method is now being widely adopted to vegetate arid areas. His books, such as The One-Straw Revolution, have been inspirational to cultivators the world over.” –New Internationalist

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And, if that is not enough, here's another description (from Amazon):

"Call it “Zen and the Art of Farming” or a “Little Green Book,” Masanobu Fukuoka’s manifesto about farming, eating, and the limits of human knowledge presents a radical challenge to the global systems we rely on for our food. At the same time, it is a spiritual memoir of a man whose innovative system of cultivating the earth reflects a deep faith in the wholeness and balance of the natural world. As Wendell Berry writes in his preface, the book “is valuable to us because it is at once practical and philosophical. It is an inspiring, necessary book about agriculture because it is not just about agriculture.”

Trained as a scientist, Fukuoka rejected both modern agribusiness and centuries of agricultural practice, deciding instead that the best forms of cultivation mirror nature’s own laws. Over the next three decades he perfected his so-called “do-nothing” technique: commonsense, sustainable practices that all but eliminate the use of pesticides, fertilizer, tillage, and perhaps most significantly, wasteful effort.

Whether you’re a guerrilla gardener or a kitchen gardener, dedicated to slow food or simply looking to live a healthier life, you will find something here—you may even be moved to start a revolution of your own."

This is another book by Fukuoka, evidently very rare. Has anyone here read it? There's a group online that discusses Fukuoka's techniques and one of the members has a copy he's made available. Could be an interesting, illuminating read...