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The Dragonfly Will Be the Messiah
In twenty short books, Penguin brings you the classics of the environmental movement.In The Dragonfly Will Be the Messiah , the celebrated pioneer of the 'do-nothing' farming method reflects on global ecological trauma and argues that we must radically transform our understanding of both nature and ourselves in order to have any chance of healing.Over the past 75 years, a new canon has emerged. As life on Earth has become irrevocably altered by humans, visionary thinkers around the world have raised their voices to defend the planet, and affirm our place at the heart of its restoration. Their words have endured through the decades, becoming the classics of a movement. Together, these books show the richness of environmental thought, and point the way to a fairer, saner, greener world.
87 pages, Paperback
Published August 26, 2021
About the author
Masanobu Fukuoka
24 books352 followersMasanobu Fukuoka was born in 1914 in a small farming village on the island of Shikoku in Southern Japan. He was educated in microbiology and worked as a soil scientist specializing in plant pathology, but at the age of twenty-five he began to have doubts about the "wonders of modern agriculture science."
While recovering from a severe attack of pneumonia, Fukuoka experienced a moment of satori or personal enlightenment. He had a vision in which something one might call true nature was revealed to him. He saw that all the "accomplishments" of human civilization are meaningless before the totality of nature. He saw that humans had become separated from nature and that our attempts to control or even understand all the complexities of life were not only futile, they were self-destructive. From that moment on, he has spent his life trying to return to the state of being one with nature.
At the time of his revelation, Fukuoka was living in a Japan that was abandoning its traditional farming methods and adopting Western agriculture, economic and industrial models. He saw how this trend was driving the Japanese even further from a oneness with nature, and how destructive and polluting those practices were. As a result, he resigned his job as a research scientist and returned to his father's farm on Shikoku determined to demonstrate the practical value of his vision by restoring the land to a condition that would enable nature's original harmony to prevail.
Through 30 years of refinement he was able to develop a "do-nothing" method of farming. Without soil cultivation such as plowing or tilling, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, weeding, pruning, machinery or compost, Fukuoka was able to produce high-quality fruit, vegetables and grains with yields equal to or greater than those of any neighboring farm.
In his 60's, Fukuoka sat down to document what he had seen and done. In 1975 his first book "One Straw Revolution" was released and has had a profound impact on agriculture and human consciousness all over the world. "One Straw Revolution" was followed by "The Natural Way of Farming" and then by "The Road Back To Nature."
Since 1979, Fukuoka has been touring, giving lectures and sowing the seeds of natural farming all over the world. In 1988 he was given Deshikottan Award, and the Ramon Magsaysay Award. In 1997 he received the Earth Council Award.
from http://fukuokafarmingol.info/fintro.html
While recovering from a severe attack of pneumonia, Fukuoka experienced a moment of satori or personal enlightenment. He had a vision in which something one might call true nature was revealed to him. He saw that all the "accomplishments" of human civilization are meaningless before the totality of nature. He saw that humans had become separated from nature and that our attempts to control or even understand all the complexities of life were not only futile, they were self-destructive. From that moment on, he has spent his life trying to return to the state of being one with nature.
At the time of his revelation, Fukuoka was living in a Japan that was abandoning its traditional farming methods and adopting Western agriculture, economic and industrial models. He saw how this trend was driving the Japanese even further from a oneness with nature, and how destructive and polluting those practices were. As a result, he resigned his job as a research scientist and returned to his father's farm on Shikoku determined to demonstrate the practical value of his vision by restoring the land to a condition that would enable nature's original harmony to prevail.
Through 30 years of refinement he was able to develop a "do-nothing" method of farming. Without soil cultivation such as plowing or tilling, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, weeding, pruning, machinery or compost, Fukuoka was able to produce high-quality fruit, vegetables and grains with yields equal to or greater than those of any neighboring farm.
In his 60's, Fukuoka sat down to document what he had seen and done. In 1975 his first book "One Straw Revolution" was released and has had a profound impact on agriculture and human consciousness all over the world. "One Straw Revolution" was followed by "The Natural Way of Farming" and then by "The Road Back To Nature."
Since 1979, Fukuoka has been touring, giving lectures and sowing the seeds of natural farming all over the world. In 1988 he was given Deshikottan Award, and the Ramon Magsaysay Award. In 1997 he received the Earth Council Award.
from http://fukuokafarmingol.info/fintro.html
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 28, 2021
1.5 rounded up
Having recently read and enjoyed another book from the Green Ideas series I was looking forward to picking this up, but I'm sad to report this was a big disappointment.
This reads like a heavily abbreviated version of a full length book by Masanobu Fukuoka (I can't quite find which one!) and in some ways it's difficult to review an excerpt of a longer piece when you're unsure if better context might make a text hang together better, but suffice it to say that this made for a frustrating read for this reader. Fukuoka is known for his 'do nothing' method of farming but I found this essay-length book left me more confused than before I read it as to what he actually stood for -- his ideas and written manifesto for an alternative method of farming felt problematic, unrealistic and outdated; some ideas seemed like they'd cause more harm than good. All the research was anecdotal and not based in actual legitimate scientific studies.
On a positive note, the text is presented in an accessible manner and made for a quick read but I'm afraid to say the ideas are not ones that will stick with me. I'm optimistic the third book in the series that I have an ARC of - Man's War Against Nature - will be more my cup of tea.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin UK for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Having recently read and enjoyed another book from the Green Ideas series I was looking forward to picking this up, but I'm sad to report this was a big disappointment.
This reads like a heavily abbreviated version of a full length book by Masanobu Fukuoka (I can't quite find which one!) and in some ways it's difficult to review an excerpt of a longer piece when you're unsure if better context might make a text hang together better, but suffice it to say that this made for a frustrating read for this reader. Fukuoka is known for his 'do nothing' method of farming but I found this essay-length book left me more confused than before I read it as to what he actually stood for -- his ideas and written manifesto for an alternative method of farming felt problematic, unrealistic and outdated; some ideas seemed like they'd cause more harm than good. All the research was anecdotal and not based in actual legitimate scientific studies.
On a positive note, the text is presented in an accessible manner and made for a quick read but I'm afraid to say the ideas are not ones that will stick with me. I'm optimistic the third book in the series that I have an ARC of - Man's War Against Nature - will be more my cup of tea.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin UK for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
December 31, 2021
3- I liked the practical bit about natural farming, the philosophical musings (which made up most of the book) seemed pretty basic to me and not necessarily well-substantiated. Although I respect the fact that Fukuoka was thinking about our estrangement from nature long before it became a thing.
November 8, 2023
Some of y’all should’ve just read this instead of taking all those shrooms…
Read
August 6, 2021I had such high hopes for this one. Penguin's various Ideas series are lovely little books, even if reading this as a Netgalley ARC meant I wouldn't get the physical satisfaction of the pocketable paperback. The title, obviously; I do love a dragonfly, and I was just recently saying how since they'd made it through the last three great extinctions, they would quite likely dart through our current one too. The author is known for preaching 'Do-Nothing Farming', and as someone who always grumps for a couple of days when the communal garden gets mown, weeded or whatever, discomfiting the bees, that sounds like a movement I can get behind. And he opens with a joyous description of the green epiphany which, back before the Second World War, set him on this path:
"I saw nature directly. It was pure and radiant, what I imagined heaven to be. I saw the mountains and rivers, the grasses and trees, the flowers, the small birds and the butterflies as if for the first time. I felt the throbbing of life, delighted in hearing the songbirds and the sound of rustling leaves. I became as light as the wings of a dragonfly, and felt as if I were flying as high as the mountain peaks."
Alas, it's downhill from there. One potentially promising section starts with Fukuoka's observations of how rice, left to its own devices, will naturally hybridise, even outside its own species – but anything we might have gleaned from that is lost by his conclusion that this shows we simply shouldn't classify plants at all: "We would be better off simply appreciating all the diverse forms nature has provided and not interfering." History is full of apparently love-filled revelation which led to nasty places, and here's another one for the list. Mysticism, founded as it must be on experiences which can only be imperfectly captured by a language not evolved to handle them, can very easily shade into anti-intellectualism, but this is a particularly unabashed example: "Actually, I think people would be better off without words altogether." Talking to another writer about their works, Fukuoka says "I've written mine with the idea that books are not useful at all." When he talks about how each fresh discovery science makes just leaves people with more questions, wanting to know yet more, he seems genuinely to think that's a bad thing. One of several points where I once more lamented that I was reading this as an ebook, but this time because if I'd had a physical copy, I could have thrown it across the room without worrying about knackering my 'phone.
So it continues. At best, the book's middle section offers statements of the bleeding obvious: "Even if we speak of the freedom of capitalism, one cannot wilfully act with unlimited freedom, and not everything can be distributed equally, as communism suggests." Yes, middlemen often screw over both farmers and customers when it comes to the price of food – but now, to the inherent evils of that, we can add the second-order consequence that it might encourage people to seek answers in a philosophy as noxious as this. Because when we're not getting time-worn cliches presented as stunning new information in the manner you'd expect to find on a local newspaper's letters page ("I call it 'the mad course of genetic engineering.'"), we're often being ushered into the territory where hippy twaddle goes from vaguely annoying to outright worrying. Fukuoka pushes back against Darwin with a classic misunderstanding of his theories: "One question I have about this theory is: What basis was used to determine which species are higher or lower, and which are strong or weak?" Yet he manages the remarkable double of apparently being fine with social Darwinism; he's fine with letting pests "thin out the weakest individuals" on his farm, and his scepticism of medicine suggests the same holds for the wider world too. "To speak of creatures as beneficial insects, harmful insects, pathogenic bacteria, or troublesome birds is like saying the right hand is good and the left hand is bad." "The only thing for people to decide is how they can best achieve a death that complies with nature's will." I've no interest in prolonging life when its quality has fled, but this seems to go a long way past that. Even when it comes to re-vegetating deserts, one of the other things with which he's most associated, he seems to go maddeningly back and forth. So far as I can make out, his conclusion is that natural deserts are fine but man-made ones should be re-greened. From which it presumably follows that if some cosmic catastrophe threatened Earth, we should let nature take its course there too, and have all these precious ecosystems wiped out? Or is only Earthbound nature which he counts as nature?
This is, of course, only an excerpt from a longer 1996 work, The Ultimatum Of GOD NATURE (though isn't that a classic green ink title?). Possibly it has been excerpted in such a way as to make the original writer look bad, or perhaps Larry Korn's translation is to blame, though certainly that has never been my experience of the Ideas range in the past. Certainly it sounds as if Fukuoka's practical impact on the world, especially in terms of encouraging sustainable farming, was far more beneficial than you'd expect from reading this. Towards the end one even starts to glimpse how, with sections on pine blight, soil exhaustion and desertification that deplore short-term solutions (chemical spraying, building monumental dams and so forth) in favour of taking a holistic approach and addressing the wider causes. Here we get detailed, plausible, practical information on fixes. But that is precisely to apply the human quest for knowledge, and science, and book-larnin', and all those things the early sections of the book have been deploring, and use them to wise ends – rather than the retreat into quietist mulch which Fukuoka has been advocating.
"I saw nature directly. It was pure and radiant, what I imagined heaven to be. I saw the mountains and rivers, the grasses and trees, the flowers, the small birds and the butterflies as if for the first time. I felt the throbbing of life, delighted in hearing the songbirds and the sound of rustling leaves. I became as light as the wings of a dragonfly, and felt as if I were flying as high as the mountain peaks."
Alas, it's downhill from there. One potentially promising section starts with Fukuoka's observations of how rice, left to its own devices, will naturally hybridise, even outside its own species – but anything we might have gleaned from that is lost by his conclusion that this shows we simply shouldn't classify plants at all: "We would be better off simply appreciating all the diverse forms nature has provided and not interfering." History is full of apparently love-filled revelation which led to nasty places, and here's another one for the list. Mysticism, founded as it must be on experiences which can only be imperfectly captured by a language not evolved to handle them, can very easily shade into anti-intellectualism, but this is a particularly unabashed example: "Actually, I think people would be better off without words altogether." Talking to another writer about their works, Fukuoka says "I've written mine with the idea that books are not useful at all." When he talks about how each fresh discovery science makes just leaves people with more questions, wanting to know yet more, he seems genuinely to think that's a bad thing. One of several points where I once more lamented that I was reading this as an ebook, but this time because if I'd had a physical copy, I could have thrown it across the room without worrying about knackering my 'phone.
So it continues. At best, the book's middle section offers statements of the bleeding obvious: "Even if we speak of the freedom of capitalism, one cannot wilfully act with unlimited freedom, and not everything can be distributed equally, as communism suggests." Yes, middlemen often screw over both farmers and customers when it comes to the price of food – but now, to the inherent evils of that, we can add the second-order consequence that it might encourage people to seek answers in a philosophy as noxious as this. Because when we're not getting time-worn cliches presented as stunning new information in the manner you'd expect to find on a local newspaper's letters page ("I call it 'the mad course of genetic engineering.'"), we're often being ushered into the territory where hippy twaddle goes from vaguely annoying to outright worrying. Fukuoka pushes back against Darwin with a classic misunderstanding of his theories: "One question I have about this theory is: What basis was used to determine which species are higher or lower, and which are strong or weak?" Yet he manages the remarkable double of apparently being fine with social Darwinism; he's fine with letting pests "thin out the weakest individuals" on his farm, and his scepticism of medicine suggests the same holds for the wider world too. "To speak of creatures as beneficial insects, harmful insects, pathogenic bacteria, or troublesome birds is like saying the right hand is good and the left hand is bad." "The only thing for people to decide is how they can best achieve a death that complies with nature's will." I've no interest in prolonging life when its quality has fled, but this seems to go a long way past that. Even when it comes to re-vegetating deserts, one of the other things with which he's most associated, he seems to go maddeningly back and forth. So far as I can make out, his conclusion is that natural deserts are fine but man-made ones should be re-greened. From which it presumably follows that if some cosmic catastrophe threatened Earth, we should let nature take its course there too, and have all these precious ecosystems wiped out? Or is only Earthbound nature which he counts as nature?
This is, of course, only an excerpt from a longer 1996 work, The Ultimatum Of GOD NATURE (though isn't that a classic green ink title?). Possibly it has been excerpted in such a way as to make the original writer look bad, or perhaps Larry Korn's translation is to blame, though certainly that has never been my experience of the Ideas range in the past. Certainly it sounds as if Fukuoka's practical impact on the world, especially in terms of encouraging sustainable farming, was far more beneficial than you'd expect from reading this. Towards the end one even starts to glimpse how, with sections on pine blight, soil exhaustion and desertification that deplore short-term solutions (chemical spraying, building monumental dams and so forth) in favour of taking a holistic approach and addressing the wider causes. Here we get detailed, plausible, practical information on fixes. But that is precisely to apply the human quest for knowledge, and science, and book-larnin', and all those things the early sections of the book have been deploring, and use them to wise ends – rather than the retreat into quietist mulch which Fukuoka has been advocating.
February 23, 2022
This green little pamphlet-sized book with a dragonfly on its cover is nothing less than a blueprint for a new model of how we might structure a post-industrial post-carbon society, as much as it is a blueprint for the mindset that's going to take us there and into a world re-integrated with natural systems, as opposed to our current one which is more like a parasitic growth. You can think of the book like a seed thrown out the window of a passing car ready to take root and propagate a whole ecosystem of new ideas in whatever new habitat it happens to find itself. Really a remarkable mind, Mr Fukuoka.
March 16, 2022
Masanobu Fukuoka was mainly known for his works advocating natural farming and re-vegetation of desertified lands, and his authoritative book The One-Straw Revolution that introduces his methods for natural farming. To put it simply, his ideas campaign the need for ‘do-nothing’ farming methods that are in contrast with the complexities of modern farming. Looking at the timeline of Masanobu’s campaign, he was among the earliest advocates that question monoculture and other modern farming methods that were introduced during the Green Revolution in the past few decades.
In four short chapters, this pamphlet highlights Masanobu’s philosophies which begin with his calling for natural farming. His arguments with regard to natural farming are sound, with proofs of his personal experience working as a microbiologist in pre-war Japan and his interactions with many people from different parts of the world discussing his and their views on natural farming. He argues that modern perspectives have been corrupted by science and (sometimes) by religious imposters who seek more profits and powers by imposing unsustainable ideas on laypeople. He says, “I look forward to the day when there is no need for sacred scriptures or sutras. The dragonfly will be the messiah.”
While some of his claims are agreeable to me, I find it quite difficult to agree to his repudiation of science. In the second part Reconsidering Human Knowledge, Masanobu argues, “With increased ‘knowledge’ comes an increased desire for more knowledge, and then people work and work to invent machines to help them achieve even greater knowledge.” While this is true, and I once held a similar dystopian view about the future of humanity, I consider there’s a wisdom in the scientific approach to solve our problems, while also considering the importance of returning to the natural state of the world in order to sustain the future of humanity. Masanobu’s opinions intrigued me further to think if there’s any endpoint, some non-negotiable limit to how humans can thrive technologically, but still live in harmony with nature.
As the materials on this pamphlet are taken from The Ultimatum of GOD NATURE, first published in Japanese in 1996, there is a 20-year gap between the time when Masanobu first laid out his ideas and the current state of affairs. For instance, more people have become aware of climate change and its consequences to the future of humanity. The term ‘net-zero’ has become more widely understood, and many of us understand the need to reach net-zero by 2050, that we are now on earth on borrowed time. Policymakers in both developed and developing countries now consider climate change as part of the equations in policymaking, with the UN Climate Change conference (COP) being held annually since 1995 up until now to discuss agendas on mitigating climate disasters.
While I don’t 100% buy Masanobu’s ideas, I think it’s a good initiative by Penguin, to publish a series of Penguin Books – Green Ideas comprising 20 short publications to highlight salient points of contemporary philosophers and scientists regarding the climate issues. People of the 21st century are busy, most of us might not have time to read books or we might be doing it in between commuting and catching the next agenda in our schedules, but this short pamphlet and other books in the series might be a ‘wake-up’ call to see what a layperson can do with regards to climate issues.
In four short chapters, this pamphlet highlights Masanobu’s philosophies which begin with his calling for natural farming. His arguments with regard to natural farming are sound, with proofs of his personal experience working as a microbiologist in pre-war Japan and his interactions with many people from different parts of the world discussing his and their views on natural farming. He argues that modern perspectives have been corrupted by science and (sometimes) by religious imposters who seek more profits and powers by imposing unsustainable ideas on laypeople. He says, “I look forward to the day when there is no need for sacred scriptures or sutras. The dragonfly will be the messiah.”
While some of his claims are agreeable to me, I find it quite difficult to agree to his repudiation of science. In the second part Reconsidering Human Knowledge, Masanobu argues, “With increased ‘knowledge’ comes an increased desire for more knowledge, and then people work and work to invent machines to help them achieve even greater knowledge.” While this is true, and I once held a similar dystopian view about the future of humanity, I consider there’s a wisdom in the scientific approach to solve our problems, while also considering the importance of returning to the natural state of the world in order to sustain the future of humanity. Masanobu’s opinions intrigued me further to think if there’s any endpoint, some non-negotiable limit to how humans can thrive technologically, but still live in harmony with nature.
As the materials on this pamphlet are taken from The Ultimatum of GOD NATURE, first published in Japanese in 1996, there is a 20-year gap between the time when Masanobu first laid out his ideas and the current state of affairs. For instance, more people have become aware of climate change and its consequences to the future of humanity. The term ‘net-zero’ has become more widely understood, and many of us understand the need to reach net-zero by 2050, that we are now on earth on borrowed time. Policymakers in both developed and developing countries now consider climate change as part of the equations in policymaking, with the UN Climate Change conference (COP) being held annually since 1995 up until now to discuss agendas on mitigating climate disasters.
While I don’t 100% buy Masanobu’s ideas, I think it’s a good initiative by Penguin, to publish a series of Penguin Books – Green Ideas comprising 20 short publications to highlight salient points of contemporary philosophers and scientists regarding the climate issues. People of the 21st century are busy, most of us might not have time to read books or we might be doing it in between commuting and catching the next agenda in our schedules, but this short pamphlet and other books in the series might be a ‘wake-up’ call to see what a layperson can do with regards to climate issues.
May 8, 2022
This is the second of the Penguin 'Green Ideas' series that I've read so far. I enjoyed the first half a lot more than the latter half, probably because it was about the philosophies behind natural farming rather than the actual methods. This is, however, still a fantastic book, and very accessible for someone with limited environmental knowledge (like me).
I would love to know more about Masanobu Fukuoka's life and how far his ideas of natural farming have spread - maybe more in the east than the west?
My favourite line follows his criticism of modern religion and intellectual culture: 'human beings are nothing more than animals dancing to a tune piped by their own ideas.'
I would love to know more about Masanobu Fukuoka's life and how far his ideas of natural farming have spread - maybe more in the east than the west?
My favourite line follows his criticism of modern religion and intellectual culture: 'human beings are nothing more than animals dancing to a tune piped by their own ideas.'
June 9, 2022
An inspiring essay about the state of the world we live in and how we could improve, both environmentally and spiritually. The author is the founder of the so-called 'do-nothing' farming method, preferring to keep human intervention at a minimum and let nature nourish itself. I will definitely read his main publication 'The One Straw Revolution'. Though at some points within this essay it feels like the author is too standoff-ish and spiteful towards modern society, and sometimes ideas loose themselves in his argumentation.
September 1, 2022
I would like to believe his revegetation theory works but the author provides little scientific evidence for his readers.
August 24, 2021
Masanobu Fukuoka is a famous botanist who for 75 years has been pursuing the theory of non-doing agriculture (The Natural Way of Farming), which in turn is inspired by the Buddhist concept of Mu (without).
This is a kind of history of his thought, from the first revelations before the Second World War to a whole series of practical ideas to put, or rather not put, agriculture in motion, leaving it to nature itself.
Unfortunately, my knowledge of botany is very poor so I can not base on factual data my reaction a little bit of bewilderment and a little bit of disbelief that caused me this little ebook, but let's just say that I would love that what the author wrote was not only very feasible, but absolutely functional.
Masanobu Fukuoka é un botanico molto famoso che da 75 anni porta avanti la teoria dell'agricoltura del non fare, che si ispira a sua volta al concetto buddista del Mu (senza).
Questa é una specie di storia del suo pensiero, dalle prime rivelazioni prima della seconda guerra mondiali a tutta una serie di idee pratica per mettere, anzi non mettere, in moto l'agricoltura lasciando praticamente fare alla natura stessa.
Purtroppo le mie nozioni di botanica sono scarsissime quindi non posso fondare su dati di fatto la mia reazione un po' di sconcerto e un po' di incredulitá che mi ha causato questo piccolo ebook, ma diciamo pure che mi piacerebbe tanto che quanto scritto dall'autore fosse non solo molto praticabile, ma assolutamente funzionante.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
This is a kind of history of his thought, from the first revelations before the Second World War to a whole series of practical ideas to put, or rather not put, agriculture in motion, leaving it to nature itself.
Unfortunately, my knowledge of botany is very poor so I can not base on factual data my reaction a little bit of bewilderment and a little bit of disbelief that caused me this little ebook, but let's just say that I would love that what the author wrote was not only very feasible, but absolutely functional.
Masanobu Fukuoka é un botanico molto famoso che da 75 anni porta avanti la teoria dell'agricoltura del non fare, che si ispira a sua volta al concetto buddista del Mu (senza).
Questa é una specie di storia del suo pensiero, dalle prime rivelazioni prima della seconda guerra mondiali a tutta una serie di idee pratica per mettere, anzi non mettere, in moto l'agricoltura lasciando praticamente fare alla natura stessa.
Purtroppo le mie nozioni di botanica sono scarsissime quindi non posso fondare su dati di fatto la mia reazione un po' di sconcerto e un po' di incredulitá che mi ha causato questo piccolo ebook, ma diciamo pure che mi piacerebbe tanto che quanto scritto dall'autore fosse non solo molto praticabile, ma assolutamente funzionante.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
April 23, 2022
An interesting read, a period piece of sorts, chock full of thought-provoking ideas and experiences, from a (dare I say) different voice (in being less Western and transparent/cognizant of that).
It was particularly interesting reading this relatively soon after Lovelock's We Belong to Gaia, which, conceptually, felt, hmmmm, broader in scope, but this felt like it supported (at least some aspects of) the thesis and put additional meat on (some of) the bones.
The author passed away more than a decade ago, and, as I understand it, the content assembled here was originally published elsewhere, between 1996 and 2012. Republished as a (surprisingly cohesive and thought-provoking) standalone here, this slender volume is installment 17 in the Penguin Green Ideas collection. I think the editors/publishers did well to place this in the final quarter of the series - it might not have resonated as well had I read it sooner. But, arriving at this point in the journey, it felt like a nicely shaped puzzle piece falling comfortably into place.
As has been the case, for the most part, throughout, acquiring the boxed set was well worth the investment ... and the minor hassle of acquiring it... Sadly, as my local independent bookstore confirmed, it is not available for sale (in the slipcase collection) in the U.S. What a shame! (Fortunately, thanks to our modern, global economy, it's not that difficult to order it from a UK supplier). Having now reached the three-quarter point, I'm ecstatic that I found and bought it. Well worth the effort, money, and time. Frankly, I can't recommend the collection (warts and imperfections and all ... including the challenges of getting a copy/set in the U.S.) enough.
It was particularly interesting reading this relatively soon after Lovelock's We Belong to Gaia, which, conceptually, felt, hmmmm, broader in scope, but this felt like it supported (at least some aspects of) the thesis and put additional meat on (some of) the bones.
The author passed away more than a decade ago, and, as I understand it, the content assembled here was originally published elsewhere, between 1996 and 2012. Republished as a (surprisingly cohesive and thought-provoking) standalone here, this slender volume is installment 17 in the Penguin Green Ideas collection. I think the editors/publishers did well to place this in the final quarter of the series - it might not have resonated as well had I read it sooner. But, arriving at this point in the journey, it felt like a nicely shaped puzzle piece falling comfortably into place.
As has been the case, for the most part, throughout, acquiring the boxed set was well worth the investment ... and the minor hassle of acquiring it... Sadly, as my local independent bookstore confirmed, it is not available for sale (in the slipcase collection) in the U.S. What a shame! (Fortunately, thanks to our modern, global economy, it's not that difficult to order it from a UK supplier). Having now reached the three-quarter point, I'm ecstatic that I found and bought it. Well worth the effort, money, and time. Frankly, I can't recommend the collection (warts and imperfections and all ... including the challenges of getting a copy/set in the U.S.) enough.
July 16, 2022
"It's true that I have written several books... but you seem to have written your books believing they would be useful to other people. I've written mine with the idea that books are not useful at all," writes Fukuoka.
This one certainly isn't.
These are the disjointed ramblings of someone who likes to philosophize. Some of it is contradictory. The do-nothing farming method is interesting, but I don't understand why Penguin put this together this way. 😕
This one certainly isn't.
These are the disjointed ramblings of someone who likes to philosophize. Some of it is contradictory. The do-nothing farming method is interesting, but I don't understand why Penguin put this together this way. 😕
September 3, 2022
Very difficult read- a lot of seemingly outlandish and angry statements without offering concrete backing or alternatives. Pitting the west against the east- entirely pointless. And romanticizing the past while fully rejecting science and technology. I still gave it 3 stars because it helped me to question my beliefs, some very firmly held- as well as for the beautiful and romantic descriptions of supreme nature and the concept of Mu.
March 5, 2023
It's an extended essay and again opinion rather than backed up fact. In this case though the gardening/science opinion has been tested by praxis. The politics less so and I frankly thought he was wrong on some points. The gardening is a good provocation. I don't know enough to know whether he is right or wrong but it does make me want to know more!
July 4, 2022
Tää oli sillee puoliks höpönlöpöä mut sit ku se rupes selittää miten olla maanviljelijä japanis nii mä olin sillee joo word tää on vituhyvä
February 10, 2024
Misconstrues evolutionary theory and then attacks it. Same with genetics.
The bits about "do-nothing" farming are interesting, but anecdotal.
The bits about "do-nothing" farming are interesting, but anecdotal.
February 28, 2022
although an interesting philosophy with regard to the humanistic view of nature and knowledge systems, I didn't fully agree with a lot of the arguments. the issues of dessertification and natural farming discussed later on in the book did provide an interesting insight into how commercialisation and overpopulation can effect natural systems and gave practical tips on doing things differently.
August 25, 2021
Masanobu Fukuoka’s short text, The Dragonfly Will Be the Messiah (Green Ideas) is part of a larger body of work titled, Sowing Seeds in the Desert. The premise of this short snippet sounded wonderful (hence why I requested it). However, I struggled to finish reading it.
As someone who can’t keep anything alive, I appreciated Fukuoka’s hands-off approach to farming. I think that some of his research findings are interesting. However, without using a scientific method, readers can’t believe his findings and even Fukuoka notes that the results may not be accurate. His beliefs are phrased as truths without any scientific data or research to back up his ideas. At one point, Fukuoka notes, “Although the climate and other conditions are different, I believe that this basic method will also work in revegetating the deserts.”
I was also curious about the translation as there is some awkward phrasing, such as, “All the confusion, all the agony that had obsessed me disappeared with the morning mist.” Furthermore, there are vague sentences such as this one: “One Sunday, five or six soldiers from the nearby air force unit came to visit on their day off. […] The following morning they disappeared into the southern sky. It still breaks my heart to recall the boyish faces of those young men.” I’m not sure why it broke the author’s heart “to recall the boyish faces of those young men” as it’s not clear from the text.
Although nature lovers may enjoy this text, I worry that Fukuoka romanticizes and oversimplifies nature and the past. If my Japanese was better, I’d read the original in order to determine if the concerns I have are also present in the original text or if it’s the translation.
I may not be the target reader, but there is definitely a reader out there who would love this! I would recommend this short work to readers interested in nature, geography and/or philosophy.
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Classics for allowing me to read an ARC of this short classic in return for an honest review. I greatly appreciate it!
As someone who can’t keep anything alive, I appreciated Fukuoka’s hands-off approach to farming. I think that some of his research findings are interesting. However, without using a scientific method, readers can’t believe his findings and even Fukuoka notes that the results may not be accurate. His beliefs are phrased as truths without any scientific data or research to back up his ideas. At one point, Fukuoka notes, “Although the climate and other conditions are different, I believe that this basic method will also work in revegetating the deserts.”
I was also curious about the translation as there is some awkward phrasing, such as, “All the confusion, all the agony that had obsessed me disappeared with the morning mist.” Furthermore, there are vague sentences such as this one: “One Sunday, five or six soldiers from the nearby air force unit came to visit on their day off. […] The following morning they disappeared into the southern sky. It still breaks my heart to recall the boyish faces of those young men.” I’m not sure why it broke the author’s heart “to recall the boyish faces of those young men” as it’s not clear from the text.
Although nature lovers may enjoy this text, I worry that Fukuoka romanticizes and oversimplifies nature and the past. If my Japanese was better, I’d read the original in order to determine if the concerns I have are also present in the original text or if it’s the translation.
I may not be the target reader, but there is definitely a reader out there who would love this! I would recommend this short work to readers interested in nature, geography and/or philosophy.
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Classics for allowing me to read an ARC of this short classic in return for an honest review. I greatly appreciate it!
August 25, 2021
Masanobu Fukuoka’s short text, The Dragonfly Will Be the Messiah (Green Ideas) is part of a larger body of work titled, Sowing Seeds in the Desert. The premise of this short snippet sounded wonderful (hence why I requested it). However, I struggled to finish reading it.
As someone who can’t keep anything alive, I appreciated Fukuoka’s hands-off approach to farming. I think that some of his research findings are interesting. However, without using a scientific method, readers can’t believe his findings and even Fukuoka notes that the results may not be accurate. His beliefs are phrased as truths without any scientific data or research to back up his ideas. At one point, Fukuoka notes, “Although the climate and other conditions are different, I believe that this basic method will also work in revegetating the deserts.”
I was also curious about the translation as there is some awkward phrasing, such as, “All the confusion, all the agony that had obsessed me disappeared with the morning mist.” Furthermore, there are vague sentences such as this one: “One Sunday, five or six soldiers from the nearby air force unit came to visit on their day off. […] The following morning they disappeared into the southern sky. It still breaks my heart to recall the boyish faces of those young men.” I’m not sure why it broke the author’s heart “to recall the boyish faces of those young men” as it’s not clear from the text.
Although nature lovers may enjoy this text, I worry that Fukuoka romanticizes and oversimplifies nature and the past. If my Japanese was better, I’d read the original in order to determine if the concerns I have are also present in the original text or if it’s the translation.
I may not be the target reader, but there is definitely a reader out there who would love this! I would recommend this short work to readers interested in nature, geography and/or philosophy.
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Classics for allowing me to read an ARC of this short classic in return for an honest review. I greatly appreciate it!
As someone who can’t keep anything alive, I appreciated Fukuoka’s hands-off approach to farming. I think that some of his research findings are interesting. However, without using a scientific method, readers can’t believe his findings and even Fukuoka notes that the results may not be accurate. His beliefs are phrased as truths without any scientific data or research to back up his ideas. At one point, Fukuoka notes, “Although the climate and other conditions are different, I believe that this basic method will also work in revegetating the deserts.”
I was also curious about the translation as there is some awkward phrasing, such as, “All the confusion, all the agony that had obsessed me disappeared with the morning mist.” Furthermore, there are vague sentences such as this one: “One Sunday, five or six soldiers from the nearby air force unit came to visit on their day off. […] The following morning they disappeared into the southern sky. It still breaks my heart to recall the boyish faces of those young men.” I’m not sure why it broke the author’s heart “to recall the boyish faces of those young men” as it’s not clear from the text.
Although nature lovers may enjoy this text, I worry that Fukuoka romanticizes and oversimplifies nature and the past. If my Japanese was better, I’d read the original in order to determine if the concerns I have are also present in the original text or if it’s the translation.
I may not be the target reader, but there is definitely a reader out there who would love this! I would recommend this short work to readers interested in nature, geography and/or philosophy.
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Classics for allowing me to read an ARC of this short classic in return for an honest review. I greatly appreciate it!
July 10, 2022
This is not a real review, just some thoughts I like to write down.
Das ist keine richtige Bewertung, nur ein paar Gedanken, die ich aufschreiben wollte.
Hm, noch ein anstrengendes Buch der Green Ideas. Ich schliesse mich gerne an, dass mit dem Aussterben der Menschheit kein Gott dastehen wird, der uns wiederaufleben lassen wird, dass wir viel, viel mehr Rücksicht auf die Natur nehmen müssen, sie schützen müssen, sie zu grossen Teilen in Ruhe lassen müssen und aufhören sollten, unsere Lebensgrundlage zu zerstören. Aber: Alternativen zu Darwins Evolutionstheorie aufzustellen, verknüpft mit Buddhismus und der Relativität der Zeit? Kann und will ich nicht folgen. "Do nothing" als Landwirtschaftsalternative propagieren wobei nie mehr als 5% Ertragsverluste entstehen ohne das mit wirklichen wissenschaftlichen Daten zu stützen? Illusorisch. Die komplette Biosphäre als eine Einheit anzusehen, in welcher alles mit allem verbunden ist und alles den gleichen Wert hat? Schöne Vorstellung, die aber nicht der Realität entspricht.
Auch hier wieder gute Grundgedanken, die mir aber oft zu weit gehen und nicht mehr viel mit der Welt zu tun haben, in der wir leben.
Das ist keine richtige Bewertung, nur ein paar Gedanken, die ich aufschreiben wollte.
Hm, noch ein anstrengendes Buch der Green Ideas. Ich schliesse mich gerne an, dass mit dem Aussterben der Menschheit kein Gott dastehen wird, der uns wiederaufleben lassen wird, dass wir viel, viel mehr Rücksicht auf die Natur nehmen müssen, sie schützen müssen, sie zu grossen Teilen in Ruhe lassen müssen und aufhören sollten, unsere Lebensgrundlage zu zerstören. Aber: Alternativen zu Darwins Evolutionstheorie aufzustellen, verknüpft mit Buddhismus und der Relativität der Zeit? Kann und will ich nicht folgen. "Do nothing" als Landwirtschaftsalternative propagieren wobei nie mehr als 5% Ertragsverluste entstehen ohne das mit wirklichen wissenschaftlichen Daten zu stützen? Illusorisch. Die komplette Biosphäre als eine Einheit anzusehen, in welcher alles mit allem verbunden ist und alles den gleichen Wert hat? Schöne Vorstellung, die aber nicht der Realität entspricht.
Auch hier wieder gute Grundgedanken, die mir aber oft zu weit gehen und nicht mehr viel mit der Welt zu tun haben, in der wir leben.
April 18, 2022
this lil book was a pocketbook that although I'm not the biggest fan of-- I'm happy to have read and even happier that it was a very quick read. I think the overall content of the book (sustainable 'do-nothing' farming methods) is something that should be thought about more and put into practice but I don't think creating a book for it was necessary-- at least not a pocketbook like this. a lot of the content felt repetitive and instead of doing a book one could have created a series of short collections? or even an article? it just seemed much to create a 90-page book to say the same thing. the basic gist of it was that humans should take a more hands-off approach to farming to allow nature to take on its natural course. it questions whether we cause more damage in trying to do what we think is truly helping without really grasping the idea that we may have no clue what the hell we doing.
August 5, 2021
Fukuoka, who spearheaded the 'do-nothing' farming movement, uses this short collection of essays to call us to reassess and restructure our outlook on farming for a more sustainable future. Delving into the radical changes the world must make to avoid catastrophe and the many layers of misunderstandings and misinformation we'd need to unlearn to really understand. Again drawing on his own history in plant pathology to raise some interesting arguements and not only giving us the science but posing ethical and spiritual queries for the reader to think about. Full of strikingly beautiful prose at points, this invoked a very real connection with a nature - this definitely read more like a thought experiment or manifesto.
October 22, 2021
While this was a beautiful book on musings and our relationship with nature it was a little bit lacking focus.
I did appreciate the takes on farming and comparisons to big industry.
Still, I am very excited to read the rest of the Green Ideas books.
A beautiful passage:
There has never been a generation like the present where people's hearts are so badly wounded. This is true of every are of society - politics, economics, and culture. It is reflected in the degradation of the environment, which comes about through the material path humanity has chosen. Now we have the ugly sight of industry, government, and the military joining forces in the struggle for ultimate power.
Thank you Penguin Press and Netgalley for the eARC.
I did appreciate the takes on farming and comparisons to big industry.
Still, I am very excited to read the rest of the Green Ideas books.
A beautiful passage:
There has never been a generation like the present where people's hearts are so badly wounded. This is true of every are of society - politics, economics, and culture. It is reflected in the degradation of the environment, which comes about through the material path humanity has chosen. Now we have the ugly sight of industry, government, and the military joining forces in the struggle for ultimate power.
Thank you Penguin Press and Netgalley for the eARC.
January 13, 2024
The world population has increased by 2 billion since 1998. The only reason we have enough food for the population is because farmers use the scientific techniques that Fukuoka objects to : synthetic fertilizers, irrigation, pesticides and crop hybridization. If all farmers adopted Fukuoka's "do nothing" farm method, there would be global famine. Instead, the only places where famine exists are places where food distribution has been disrupted by warfare.
His chapter on worldwide desertification misses the fact that the main cause of desert expansion is climate change due to greenhouse gases. Sprinkling seeds on bare ground and mulching them is not going to result in deserts retreating.
Fukuoka meant well, but his ideas are unpractical and dangerous.
His chapter on worldwide desertification misses the fact that the main cause of desert expansion is climate change due to greenhouse gases. Sprinkling seeds on bare ground and mulching them is not going to result in deserts retreating.
Fukuoka meant well, but his ideas are unpractical and dangerous.
March 13, 2024
This is another book in Penguin’s Green Ideas series. It is by a Japanese farmer and philosopher known for his natural farming and his theories on the revegetation of deserts. This little book is a bit of a hotchpotch, but the ideas it addresses revolve around the fact that humans and nature are one and the same and that we can only survive if nature survives. Also, there is no superior being; everyone needs everyone else, plants, animals and humans alike, and letting nature heal and thrive on its own, without interfering, is the best method. A call to reconnect with Mother Nature.
https://redheadwithabrain.ch/index.ph...
https://redheadwithabrain.ch/index.ph...
April 2, 2024
Fukuoka writes in a simple and musing sort of way on the ideas of living without effort. He touches on many daoist principles and ideas without going far into them and only acknowledges that source once or twice. An interesting section arose when he spoke about death and why people shouldn’t fear it but then it was cheapened by his lack of empathy towards deserts. For someone so keenly awakened by the beauty of all living things it is hard to see why he was unable to appreciate the intricate ecosystem of a desert. His like many others focused on a green nature, or a beautiful nature as the only worth saving.
December 21, 2021
The start of the book is not great the first half seems to largely consist of philosophical musings on the youth/society of today and poorly conceived metaphors which serve to confuse the authors point rather than illustrate it. That point being that it is important to consider whole systems rather than only focusing on individual parts. I would have given that half 2 stars.
However the second half of the book seems to contain helpful and clear practical advice about management of soil health among other things. I would give the second half 5 stars hence the averaging out to 4.
However the second half of the book seems to contain helpful and clear practical advice about management of soil health among other things. I would give the second half 5 stars hence the averaging out to 4.
January 15, 2024
The beginning reads like a philosophical meander through the author's stream of consciousness, however his practical advice on revegetation of desert areas and organic farming were insightful.
I particularly enjoyed the message that some current environmental science is too focused on targeting "solutions" to isolated areas and the potential long term and long ranging ramifications are unconsidered. Fukuoka proposes that solutions must be looked at from more of a holistic perspective, with long timelines of recovery in a mindset akin to the One Health or Planetary Health doctrines.
I particularly enjoyed the message that some current environmental science is too focused on targeting "solutions" to isolated areas and the potential long term and long ranging ramifications are unconsidered. Fukuoka proposes that solutions must be looked at from more of a holistic perspective, with long timelines of recovery in a mindset akin to the One Health or Planetary Health doctrines.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2023
Would shelve this more under "philosophy/spirituality" than "gardening" but Fukuoka's view is that the two cannot be separated if one wants to truly support nature's recovery in today's hyper-capitalist landscape. There were hints of the type of school of thought that I enjoyed so much in Hesse growing up but rather than romanticising melancholy, Fukuoka gives practical advice to those of similar sensitivity to the world.
September 18, 2021
Loved this. Easy to read , not too scientific. As a chemical free gardener I love the idea of do-nothing gardening but not sure if that’s actually possible. Favourite line is near the start ‘ When I viewed the world with an empty mind, I was able to perceive that the world before me was the true form of nature, and the only deity I would ever worship’.
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