One Straw Rev. Review

Matthew Finn

Prof Santos

Eng 102

4-9-18

One Straw Revolution Review

The One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka is an interesting novel dealing with Fukuoka's unique farming techniques and philosophical outlooks. This man has spent the better half of his life, observing and learning about nature and life in general. His mission was to use natural farming to mend the damaged planet. Once the people of his hometown Tokyo started to modernize, Fukuoka decided to take a different approach to his life. He farmed his rice without harmful chemicals. He thought the pesticides were bringing bugs to the plants, not getting rid of them. This is why he grew his rice different from everyone, and it kick started his journey. He called this type of farming “do-nothing farming” and it was the basis for his research. His story includes his interactions with different cultures and what he learned from the various peoples.

The story mainly consists of his different farming techniques which may arouse farmers interested in different ways to farm, and how it can help the land. Fukuoka said “The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.” He wanted two things, better crops and better people. I did not care for the farming methods because I am not a farmer but I was interested in his philosophies on life in general.  I did not agree with his major beliefs and his thought process being that as people in order to progress, move forward, and become better people, you must first throw away your old beliefs and thoughts. I am a Christian who believes in a God in heaven, and a devil in Hell, and an eternal afterlife, Fukuoka insists that in order to avoid a world collapse, the people have to adopt his beliefs. He then talks about how we must forget capitalism and our old economic system to completely flourish. I disagreed with this insane notion because he sounds like a dictator. I know its a stretch, but he’s asking people to forget their past, in order to form a strong future. Fukuoka sounds like a cult-leader during this part of the book and it really threw me off. Overall, a good book that has useful farming techniques and philosophies that will make you think about the world.

Source:
https://www.acresusa.com/more/the-one-straw-revolution/