The One-Straw Revolution review

Chris Roppolo

Professor Santos
ENGL 102-042
8 April 2018

The One-Straw Revolution Evaluation

            In class, we read our third and final book, The One-Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka. In the book, Masanobu Fukuoka talks about his “Do nothing” philosophy on farming which consists of not plowing or weeding any of the crops in his fields, he also does not use agricultural chemicals or any prepared fertilizers. When it comes to his rice fields, he did not flood them as the farmers in Asia has done for centuries while still surpassing some of the most productive farms in Japan.

            In The One-Straw Revolution, I thought that Masanobu Fukuoka did a fantastic job with explaining his principles and philosophy on agriculture. As said in a review by Kim Jordan “As humans, we like to control non-human things that can work just fine without us. Take insects, spiders, plants, and worms, all of which manage to find a balance in fields without chemicals, machinery, or fertilizer. And that balance still allows a farmer to attain a harvest equal to or greater than the average “modern” on a hillside near a small village in southern Japan.” (alimentumjournal.com). This quote really sums up the entire book while still demonstrating Fukuoka’s philosophy on agriculture. I would recommend this book to anyone whose interested in a new way of thinking when it comes to agriculture or who wants to be more environmentally friendly within their farms or gardens.