Natural Farming Philosophy
By Cho Han Kyu
Environment-friendly
Natural Farming is a sustainable farming. Natural Farming makes all inputs from natural
materials, observes the law of the Nature and respects the rights of crops and livestock.
Natural Farming heals the soil slashed by chemicals, herbicide and machines. Where
Natural Farming is practiced, the soil and waterbecome clean and ecology is recovered.
It is even being used as a tool to fight desertification.
Respect for Life
Natural Farming respects life. It opposes human exploitation on life. Ironical it
may sound; respecting the nature of the life is the best way to achieve top quality and
yield. We prevent disease rather than curing with medicines. We rear healthy animals
rather than feeding them hormones and antibiotics.
Crops and livestock reared by Natural Farming are very healthy. They have
almost no disease and show especially strong resistance to climatic fluctuation. Natural
Farming orchards in Korea were least damaged by the notorious typhoon that slashed
other farms.
High Quality
Natural Farming products have high quality, good taste and better yield. People
commonly think that by converting to organic farming you will have smaller yields,
lower quality and smaller-sized fruits. In Natural Farming it is the opposite. We do
not go back to the past; we take a leap into the future.
Natural Farming products have much higher nutritional contents. Protein, amino acid,
crude fat and other essential nutrient were identified to be as much as 300 percent
higher than ordinary products. Chemical residue such as nitrate is almost undetectable
Natural Farming Methods
No Pesticide
Natural Farming does not use pesticide. Pesticides do not only kill insects; they reside in
the soil and fruit. When absorbed, it can do serious harm to our bodies and even our
next generations.
Instead of using toxic chemicals, we use light, alcohol, aroma, poisonous plant and so
forth to control pests. More surprisingly, an ecology that recovered the natural balance
will drop in the pests and disease occurrence. Natural Farming does precisely that.
Because we do not use colorants, our fruits can have some natural stripes, spots or
insect bites. This is the proof of zero chemical. Most of our farmers are certified by the
government as low or zero pesticide.
No Herbicide
Natural Farming does not use herbicide. Killing the weeds with chemical is not the only
solution nor is it wise. Herbicide is lethal to human. How can it only kill the weeds?
Natural Farming uses the weeds rather than killing them. We actually grow the wild
grass such as rye and clover for mulching. Natural Farming orchards are green with
grass growing between the fruit trees. The grass prevents soil erosion, holds moisture,
propagates microorganism, produces organic fertilizer, improves soil ventilation and
suppresses the pests. How can it only be a thief of nutrients?
No Tillage
Natural Farming does not till the land. Instead of using machines, we use earthworms,
microorganisms and small animals. Machine can plow 20 centimeters at best, whereas
earthworms will dig 7 meters. The excretions of the earthworms turn into the best soil.
After practicing Natural Farming, the soil inflates like a balloon. Our little workers tilled
so well that your hand will slide in as if into a soft cake.
Because you don’t till the land, the grass seeds in the soil do not come up to the
surface. In other words, after the grass on the surface have germinated and died, you
will have no more weed problems. No tillage and no herbicide are linked
No Chemical Fertilizer
Natural Farming does not use chemical fertilizer. Nor does it follow the common
practice of applying over half of the fertilizer as base manure. Crops will become weak if
given too much food at early stage.
Nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium and all other elements that would be
commonly given in the form of chemical fertilizer are substituted with Natural Farming
inputs. Fish amino acid provides nitrogen, eggshells give calcium, animal bones are
source of phosphoric acid. Our Natural Farming inputs are not only cheap but highly
effective.
No Pollution
Natural Farming animal houses do not emit any wastewater. There is no need to install
an expensive treatment machine. All the treatment is done right on the floor itself. As
soon as feces fall on the floor, it is quickly decomposed by the powerful
microorganisms. Floor is not made from concrete, it is touching the soil; it is alive. Rice
straw, sawdust, fresh soil are used for flooring.
Even if you use a Natural Farming animal house for many years, you do not need to
clean the feces once. They do not pile up and they do not smell. Our method is
revolutionary considering the serious pollution that livestock wastewater are doing on
our rivers. Natural Farming animal housings do not smell.
Utilizing the natural powers like the sun, wind and microorganism, the floor is always
dry and fluffy. It is a common sight to see a Natural Farming animal houses right beside
a human house.
No Artificial Heating
Natural Farming animal houses do not provide any artificial heating. Rather than
consuming fossil fuel or electricity we think it is wiser to develop the animal’s natural
resistance against cold. A healthy animal does not need such human-improvised help.
Natural Farming chicks grow short, tough and dense hair whereas ordinary chicks have
long, soft and sparse hair. In extremely cold areas or weather, we use heat from
fermentation of compost.
Farming inputs are made by farmers
One of the most important aspects of Natural Farming is that the farmers make what
they need. Fertilizers, soil improvers, pest controllers, disease cure are all made by the
farmers themselves using only natural materials based on the Nutritive Cycle theory.
We do not simply buy materials from the market and follow the manual. We make what
we need and follow the principle of the nature. By doing so, we save money and
perform better. Our field, hills, forest, rivers, ocean and all surroundings are full of
useful materials that are tools of our farming; only if we open our eyes. This is why
Natural Farming can be a powerful tool for the third world farmers who cannot afford to
buy expensive imported farming inputs.
Our important inputs include Indigenous Microorganism (IMO), Fermented Plant Juice
(FPJ), Oriental Herbal Nutrient (OHN), Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), Fish Amino Acid
(LAB), Water-soluble Calcium (WCA), Water-soluble Calcium Phosphate (WCP), and
Insect Attractant (IA). All produced at home easily and cheaply. Most importantly, they
work!
Natural Feed made by Farmers
Natural Farming animals do not only eat commercial feed from the market. They
eat natural food prepared by farmers with love and affection. Chicks are given with
whole brown rice grains and bamboo leaves immediately after hatching. Tough food
develops their intestines. Animals reared with Natural Farming are healthy, strong and
have no disease.
We do not give antibiotics, hormones, colorants or other chemicals to our animals. We
give them what nature has given them to eat. We use grass, rice husk, rice bran, left-
over food, sawdust and even soil for feed. They go through our special treatment and
assorting.
Nutritive Cycle Theory
Natural Farming cares for the crops and livestock according to the “Nutritive Cycle
Theory.” It is a theory that enables us to read the changing growth stages of a plant or
animal. We apply fertilizer, feed, or prescription precisely according to this cycle.
Natural Farming is a very elaborate, complicated and precise method that denies
“spray-and-forget” kind of approach.
Just like humans, crops and livestock also need nitrogen when young, phosphoric acid
during adolescence and calcium after maturity. Also the amount of food they need to
take in will constantly change, just as a baby cannot eat a grown-up’s dish.
Natural Farming emphasizes the right use of the right material, at the right stage, in the
right quantity.
Natural Inputs
All Natural Farming inputs are made by the farmers utilizing only natural materials.
Even though we do not use chemicals sold in the market, our inputs have enough effect
to supercede them. Here we introduce some of our unique inputs.
Indigenous Microorganism (IMO)
Indigenous microorganism is a powerful input that improves soil condition and crop
health. It is collected from nearby forest or fields using a simple wooden lunch box with
steamed rice. By utilizing microorganisms that survived and adapted to that local place
for numerous generations, we can have safe, cheap yet powerful microorganism input.
Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ)
Fermented plant juice is made by fermenting plant parts in brown sugar. Sprouts and
baby fruits with high hormone concentration, full grown fruits, flower abundant in
honey, and any plant with strong vigor are good ingredients.
Oriental Herbal Nutrient (OHN)
Oriental herbal nutrient is made from herbs valued in oriental medicine.
Lactic acid bacteria is exactly same as yoghurt. Other inputs include fish amino acid,
water-soluble calcium from eggshells, water-soluble phosphoric calcium from animal
bones and seawater.
