Masanobu Fukuoka's book about growing food has been changing the lives of readers since it was first published in 1978. It is a call to arms, a manifesto, and a radical rethinking of the global systems we rely on to feed us all. It is also the memoir of a man whose spiritual beliefs underpin and inform every aspect of his innovative farming system. Equal parts farmer and philosopher, Fukuoka is recognized as one of the founding thinkers of the permaculture movement.

Fukuoka perfected his so-called "do-nothing" technique, a way of farming that seeks to work with nature rather than make it over through increasingly elaborate-and often harmful -methods. His farm became a gathering place for people from all over the world who wished to adapt his ways to their own local cultures.

The man is a legend among permaculture types, no-diggers, forest farmers and legions of other organic and sustainable devotees, not only because of his do-nothing approach but also because his message is one of deep reverence for our astonishing world. This reissue of his classic is welcome. (BBC Gardens Illustrated)

His writings - commonsensical, slightly exasperated and always inspiring - are one of the essential texts of the organic growing movement. (Irish Times)

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