I. Interpreting Meishu-Sama's Teachings The body of Meishu-Sama's teachings are like a tree, with roots, trunk, branches, and twigs. Some parts are more important to the whole than others. In studying the teachings, we need to distinguish which are the most fundamental and which are meant as support, as example and as detail. The fundamental principle of the teaching on Nature Farming is that Nature is God. And, the fundamental purpose is that God wishes to build Paradise on Earth. More significant points on nature farming draw their significance from those two. It is a mistake, therefore, to give every idea equal significance and interpret Meishu-Sama's words literally. Consider his warning about fertilizers: it was intended to help us overcome delusions about them, not to be taken as a blanket proscription on giving any nutrients to the soil. In the large scheme of things, human and animal waste is a product of nature. It has its own value if used properly. Meishu-Sama's point was that the application of raw, untreated waste undermines the inherent power of the soil. Used untreated, such matter creates sanitation problems, depletes soil's fertility, and makes crops unhealthy as food. Thus, Meishu-Sama cautioned, we should avoid using raw waste and, in fact avoid overdependance on any kind of natural or chemical fertilizers. II. Constructive Approach to Nature Some firmly believe that culturing what are called "effective microorganisms" (EM) to help the soil is itself contrary to nature. Such misconceptions occur when "nature" is not adequately defined. In its natural state, less than one quarter of the land on earth is endowed with soil rich enough to produce good crops. The remaining three=quarters has extreme climatic or geological conditions that make it almost impossible to sustain any kind of agriculture. The arctic region, high mountains, and deserts, for example, discourage virtually any crop. The Nature Farming taught by Meishu=Sama is a type of agriculture that follows the principles of Nature without violating them. While it does not demand non-intervention, it involves working with Nature to protect human life and ecological well-being. At the same time, it is a low cost method available to anyone. Thus Meishu-Sama's Nature Farming assures good health for those who eat its products, and health for the environment, while promising a food supply sufficient to sustain the worlds growing population. As a productive and economically viable approach to farming that promotes robust health, Nature Farming is a responsible agriculture oriented toward the welfare of humanity. III. Nature's Three Principles The evolution of life began with inorganic matter and proceeded onward through microorganisms to reach the highly developed physical and spiritual level of human beings. The ultimate level of evolution is unity with God. The principles governing the evolutionary process are the Laws of Nature. Expressed as three general statements, these principles provide a basic definition of Nature: * Nature does not produce contradictions. * When a contradiction occurs it can always be resolved naturally. * Nature maintains stability within evolutionary levels by means of reproductive capacity that insures transmission of genetic information. IV. Invigorating Power of EM A microorganism is the smallest possible complete unit of life. Microorganisms, which include bacteria, are always at work, some bringing new vitality to higher organisms, and others bringing decay and ill health. These two processes are ongoing, creating a balance of constructive and destructive forces in the natural environment, Depending on which force is stronger, the host organism either grows ill or recovers good health. The role of EM is to induce constructive, revitalizing processes. Meishu-Sama was fully aware of the importance of the presence of bacteria and other creatures for a vigorous and healthy soil. The Booklet, The Beliefs of Sekai Kyusei Kyo-- Paradise on Earth and Nature Farming, published in 1951, contains reports on agricultural practices in many different countries. Besides speaking of the harm that synthetic fertilizers can do, the book argues the positive effects of earthworms, bacteria, and others as agents that bring vigor and vitality to the soil. Describing the opinions of others, Meishu-Sama says, "I have found that both scientists and cultivators in these countries support my theory." V. Five Requirements for Kyusei Nature Farming Starting with his view of Nature, I have studied Meishu-Sama's teachings in order to lay out the major objectives of his agricultural method, an approach to farming that will help us to achieve Paradise on Earth. I have identified five basic requirements that must be fulfilled in order to qualify as Meishu-Sama's Nature Farming: 1. To produce foods that not only sustain but strengthen human health. 2. To benefit producers as well as consumers, both economically as well as spiritually. 3. To be sustainable and easy to practice by anyone. 4. To respect Nature and protect the environment. 5. To produce enough food for a growing world population. The five requirements clearly constitute a responsible system of agriculture, and all five must be met for a successful Kyusei Nature Farming. The first requirement prohibits using certain substances in a way that is harmful to people or the environment. These include chemical fertilizers, other agricultural chemicals. and raw animal waste. There are times, however, when nature allows even potentially harmful substances a beneficial function, and these can be used with positive results. EM is one that facilitates the natural process of breaking down and purifying animal waste. Initially harmful, animal waste treated with EM looses its unpleasant smell. an indication that it has been recycled into valuable material for a new generation of crops. The second requirement embraces the idea of agriculture as a "farming heaven" as Meishu-Sama described one of the objectives of Kyusei Nature Farming. If a farmer cannot enjoy three or four days of leisure a week, then he has not yet achieved full-fledged Kyusei Nature Farming. To be genuine, this method not only provides consumers with safe, maximally nutritious food at reasonable prices, but also allows growers to keep costs down and still profit, while experiencing pride and enjoyment in their work. Kyusei Nature Farming gives a spiritual uplift to both consumers and growers. They feel gratitude for food that sustains good health, on the one hand, and a deep sense of fulfillment in their occupation, on the other. Both are necessary if Kyusei Nature Farming is to play its part in building Paradise on Earth and eliminating disease, poverty, and conflict. Third, Kyusei Nature Farming means simplicity and sustainability. The method is not difficult, and practiced continuously, it infuses the soil with increasing vitality. At some point, the responds like a solid bed of fertilizer vigorous enough to even permit second plantings of the same crops. Applying EM to the soil encourages earthworms to proliferate. revives the earth, and improves fertility tremendously even when the soil is not tilled. Furthermore, when EM is introduced, even weeds are transformed into effective organic nutrition for the soil. The fourth requirement is imperative for an environmentally sound agriculture. Farming today depends heavily on synthetic soil additives and huge farm machinery. That approach is self defeating. It sets in motion a vicious cycle whereby, as the soil is weakened by chemical fertilizers, increasingly larger inputs of fertilizers become necessary simply to maintain current levels of production. If the process goes on too long, the soil and the groundwater become dangerously contaminated, the ecology is disturbed and the environment damaged. These developments create growing frustration that has wider consequences in serious social and economic problems. To compound matters, problems that have already cost so much require exorbitant amounts of money to repair, canceling out any gains in volume of production. Meishu-Sama said,"God created human beings and provided adequate food to sustain them. No matter how large the population grows, enough food can always be produced." The fifth requirement for Kyusei Nature Farming is, therefore, adaptability and capacity to produce plenty for everyone, a function that Meishu-Sama says is programmed into Nature. EM is perfectly suited to put that program into action, thus fulfilling a crucial role in meeting the needs of a growing population. VI. "Breakaway" Farming Until recently, one of the goals of Kyusei Nature Farming has been to achieve the same yields and eventually outperform conventional farming methods. Since about 1991, however, quite a few nature farmers have succeeded in not only reaping more abundant harvests, but in other areas as well: their costs are about one-quarter of the outlay for conventional farming, their produce tastes noticeably better and has helped improve people's health, and they are enjoying farming in a way that has never happened before. Indeed, having overcome limits in all directions, this is "breakaway" farming. "Breakaway also means going beyond standard ideas about plant breeding and heredity. For example, instead of producing mini-tomato or cherry-tomato plants with the expected thirty or so tomatoes in a bunch, Nature Farmers have been getting as many as three hundred in a bunch. While Nature Farmer'normal yields for rice have rarely reached 2000 kilograms an acre, usually remaining between 1200 and 1450, nowadays, their harvests sometimes exceed maximum yields from conventional fields in the same area. Very often, moreover, wet rice Nature Farming paddies no longer require tilling or weeding, and appropriate use of EM treated animal waste and soil in dry fields have been producing results that no one thought possible. These are encouraging signs that, step by step, cultivators are learning how to concentrate the natural power of the soil to achieve genuine Kyusei Nature Farming. The Meaning of "Kyusei Nature Farming" The term "Kyusei Nature Farming" has special significance, for it distinguishes Meishu_Sama's method from others. When he began to teach the techniques and rationale of Nature Farming in 1935, Meishu-Sama called it "cultivation without fertilizer." Around 1950, he started using the term "Nature Farming." During the late 1950's, there was a surge of interest in Japan in what might be called "nonintervention" farming, in which no agricultural chemicals were used. Others tried using human and animal waste instead of synthetic fertilizers. These methods were variously called "natural farming", "organic farming" and "nature farming", but they were all different in some respects from what Meishu-Sama taught. Some cultivators tried to apply Meishu-Sama's methods, but no matter how faithfully they followed his teachings, there were certain technicalities that made it almost impossible for them to succeed. Consequently, his system of Nature Farming went through a long and difficult period. The First International Conference on Kyusei nature Farming held in Thailand in 1989, the term "Nature Farming" was discussed at length. Among the fruits of this discussion was an agreement on what requirements must be fulfilled for an agricultural method to qualify as Meishu-sama's Nature Farming. It was also agreed that EM techniques be introduced as relevant and acceptable for our purposes. At that point, the conference voted to adapt the term "Kyusei Nature Farming" to designate Meishu-Sama's agricultural method and indicate its uniqueness. Our organization believes that the decisions made at the conference in Thailand validates the principles behind Meishu-Sama's teachings on agriculture, and that they will help realize the building of Paradise on Earth. For the reasons presented above, we have decided to disseminate that teaching under the name Kyusei Nature Farming.