Sustainable to Regenerative Living

As we kill nature, we are killing ourselves, and God incarnate as the world as well.

Masanobu Fukuoka

Farming as simply as possible with minimum effort and in cooperation with the natural environment, rather than the modern approach of applying increasingly complex techniques to remake nature entirely for the benefit of human being.

The Farming methods and techniques for growing food sustainably have been followed by the people around the world for hundreds of years, due to greediness of politicians and corporates the sustainable methods and techniques followed by the farmers across the world are being changed. Today the farmers thinks without applying any chemical fertilizer he cannot grow or cultivate food and feed his family, which is absolutely not correct as per nature. Simply take a look at the forest and observe the natural growth of flora and fauna, do some one apply fertilizer or manure or water the plants and tree’s in forest? they are growing naturally. we have reached a point were humans should stop the current methods of farming and start learning/re-learn the natural way of growing food. This is were Permaculture will help to learn natural methods of growing food.

Permaculture is permanent agriculture coined by Bill Mollison an Australian Scientist and biologist and David Holmgren in mid 1970. It is permanent agriculture working with the nature in sustainable way. The Ethics of permaculture are

• Care For Earth :- The Natures Capital is earth, care for it and rebuild it. In permaculture way of cultivating we have a set of regulation and ethics that work with earth or mother nature. if you follow this regulation you will be caring for earth.
• People care :- This Ethics is very important because this will help nurture self and kin. by caring for people you are caring for the community and helping them in the process to live sustainably.
• Fair Share :- This is to establish and set of regulation on your consumption and needs. Distribute the surplus not only with the people but also with the biodiversity around you.

Do Nothing Farming

The principle behind the do nothing farming is to let the nature do most of the work for growing food. It was Masanobu Fukuoka The Japanese farmer and philosopher who was a natural farmer started the concept of Do-Nothing Farming, were we don’t do Tilling, No Weeding and don’t use pesticides. Masanobu Fukuoka started natural way of growing rice with less water in the rice fields. He introduced method of clay seeding where seeds are mixed with hummus and compost and rolled into clay balls, this balls are then scattered into the farm land during the fall or winter when the winter crops and closer to harvest. When you harvest the winter crop manually you are stepping on this clay seed balls which are then pushed into the soil and stay there through winter and start germinating in the spring.

Masanobu Fukuoka

Zero Budget Natural farming

Subhash Palekar an Indian farmer and agriculturalist developed method of farming which fallows or replicates how the plants and trees are grown in the forest. This method is called as zero budget natural farming and it is also called as layered farming. During his college days he spent time studying Tribal and the way they live in the forest, during this time he studied about forest eco system and understood that forest does not require human intervention and still it can grow by itself. He observed the various trees and plants that are growing co-operatively in the forest. This made him to think why we cant follow same methods of growing food in the farm lands. All this thinking gave way to Zero Budget natural farming(ZBNF). For this he incorporated compost and manure created from the cow which are part of the farms in India.

Subhash Palekar and Vijay Ram.

Vijay Ram is an artist and social activist turned natural farmer is promoting the ZBNF in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana region of India.

Starting Permaculture

Where do we start with permaculture? Currently permaculture method of living and growing food is adopted by lot of people around the world who want live sustainably. There are lot of organization’s who provide training in permaculture design course where you learn and implement the permaculture way of design methods. In India Permaculture has been used and taught by various organization. One such organization is Aranya Agricultural alternatives in the state of Telangana run by Narsanna Koppula. Also there is organization called Solitude Farm in Auroville in Pondicherry India which provide training in permaculture design courses and runs a cafe which serves the food prepared using the vegetables and fruits grown in there permaculture farm. In US Oregon State University provides a certification course for Permaculture Design.

Permaculture does not apply only for growing food naturally it also applies to our life and way we think and leave our life. I can say permaculture is way of life to live sustainably and beyond.