Nature Farming Manual

Apr 16

Here is another reference material for natural farmers entitled Nature Farming Manual: A handbook of preparations, techniques and organic amendments inspired by Nature Farming and adapted to locally available materials and needs in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.

Excerpts from the Background:

Organic agriculture in The Philippines is developing rapidly and farmers have adopted and adapted an array of techniques inspired by a number of different philosophies including biodynamic farming, permaculture and Nature Farming. Of particular interest to organic agriculture practitioners in The Philippines is the Nature Farming approach which was first advocated by the Japanese philosopher Mokichi Okada in 1935. This system promotes a holistic and sustainable approach to agriculture, with the aim of protecting life and the integrity of the natural world. The basic principles of Nature Farming are akin to those advocated by Rudolf Steiner in 1924 when he laid the foundations of biodynamic agriculture. Both systems of thought arose in response to problems that were, even then, associated with industrial agriculture, inorganic fertilizer use and monocultures. A fundamental principle that has evolved with these alternative agricultural systems is that a farm should form a basic unit of self-sustainability. The use of native materials can restore and enhance the fertility and vitality of the farm.

A key component of sustainable organic farming in the developing world is the use of locally produced and low cost biomass resources to rebuild and maintain soil productivity. Organic fertilizers and soil amendments can be produced in a number of different ways. This manual focuses on the preparation of organic soil and plant amendments using microbiological processes, as inspired by Nature Farming. Although biodynamic farming also uses preparations that may potentially stimulate microbial activity of the soil, these have not yet been fully adapted to the indigenous plant materials in the Philippines.

In The Philippines, there are numerous small-scale farming endeavors occupying a mosaic of environments spanning a broad gradient of biotic and abiotic conditions. In this context it is preferable to avoid inputs of commercial EM preparations in favor of locally produced IMO preparations.

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