Living the One-Straw Revolution, with Larry Korn

The Big Chew Podcast

Natural Farming" is as much a life philosophy as a way of farming. Larry Korn has dedicated his life to teaching Natural Farming, which he learned from his mentor, the late, great Masanobu Fukuoka, author of One-Straw Revolution. This "no-method method"arose from a spiritual revelation Fukuoka had about healing the rift between humans and the natural world. Larry likens Natural Farming to indigenous agriculture, emphasizing relationship and humility instead of intellect and control. The reward is abundant food and an authentic life. Larry Korn helped translate One-Straw Revolution and Fukuoka's other books into English. He also traveled with Fukuoka-san in the US, and Larry's own book, One-Straw Revolutionary, shares what he learned living and working on Fukuoka's farm in Japan. We talk about: -Why Fukuoka, who trained as a plant scientist, railed against science -What Fukuoka learned in a spiritual revelation about Nature -Why Natural Farming looks counterintuitive; the indigenous idea -How this path differs from permaculture, which Larry also studied with its co-founder Bill Mollison -How Larry has brought this philosophy into his daily life -How Fukuoka's work dispels the idea that only hunter-gatherers, not farmers, could live in harmony with Nature -Why Fukuoka's high yields with "no-work" methods challenge the need for technology We ended our rich conversation once the neighbor cranked up the lawn mower—you'll just hear a few seconds of weed whacker at the end, but it's worth it. FREE BOOKS! From June 1 to June 15, 2017, you can get free downloads of up to 20 ebooks on Nature and the environment (including mine, Songs That Are to Come: An Ex-Catholic, A Sacred Earth, and the Nuns Who Reunited Them). There's nonfiction, fiction, and childrens' books from scientists, poets, and activists--don't miss it! http://wildpolitics.co/20authors Music in this episode is "A Walk With a Turtle" by Beeside, from the album, Lullabies of Love and Hate, used through a Creative Commons license.