Presented by Philippe Besnard, Dip.Ag, CGNF Certified Natural Farming teacher.
In Natural farming, God the Creator of the natural world becomes the teacher revealing the science and economics of agriculture.
Dr Cho’s revolutionary natural farming system observe the laws of nature and is based on the microbial world, the foundation of life. This method with its emphasis on Indigenous Micro Organisms (IMOs) is attracting worldwide attention because of its simplicity, cost effectiveness and its harmony with nature. Farming with IMO which are tiny colonies of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and small critters is highly economical and practicable in terms of productivity of crops and livestock and is providing a ray of hope to millions of farmers and consumers worldwide.. Mr. Cho has spread Natural Farming worldwide and is practiced in home gardens and on a commercial scale successfully in over 30 countries. South Korea, Japan, Mongolia, China, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, USA , India to name just a few. Mr. Han Kyu Cho formulated and fine-tuned these practices for 40 years and has trained over 18,000 people at the Janong Natural Farming Institute (www.janonglove.com).
Natural Farming contribute to alleviate poverty, disease and environmental destruction by providing an alternative means of livelihood and food production. It is decreasing our reliance on external inputs and fossil fuel as well as improving profitability of local farms.
The environmental crisis and the breakdown of ecosystems are deeply linked to modern agriculture. Current farming methods of agriculture are exhausting the Earth. There is no sustainable future for the over-use of chemicals, over-transportation of food and the dramatic loss of biodiversity. It has become urgent that we change our agricultural methods.
Natural Farming is based on the principle of interdependence among all living things. It aims to have a nurturing impact on the environment, in sharp contrast to the detrimental effects that comes with industrialized chemical agriculture.
Natural Farming recognizes the abundance of nature and utilizes indigenous resources for production. Its philosophy is to maximize the inborn potential of life in the soil respecting the nutritive cycle and development of crops.
Natural Farming is an innovative new method of farming that utilizes nature’s powers for maximum performance rather than human intervention. Natural Farming uses natural materials instead of chemicals to make its unique life giving preparations. Organic materials are locally collected by the farmers and are turned into fermentations and solution of minerals and amino acids. This process avoid expensive purchase of fertilizer from the market and transportation, thus lowering cost for the growers and converting waste into resources.
Unlike organic farming, this method of farming focusses on using things that are naturally available inside or around the farm so that nothing is purchased from outside.
Out of 100 trillion cells of the human body, 90 trillion cells belong to microbes. So it is with the earth’s and the bio-diversity of species teaming with millions of microbes. Dr. Cho's Natural Farming technologies harness the power of IMO’s in multiplying its potency billion and trillion fold in various preparation. IMO improve soils structure and meet all the nutritional requirements of plants, as well as providing a protective shield from pests and diseases. IMO grow into the roots of crops and out into the soil, increasing the root system many thousands times over. They act symbiotically, converting with enzymes the nutrients of the soil into food the plants can use and taking carbohydrates from the plants and turning it into nutrients.
A healthy fertile soil is a soil alive with a multitude of microorganisms. Research found about 700 kilograms of microorganisms to live in 0.1 hectare of land. Natural Farming recreate the conditions found in Natural environments such as old growth forests. Chemical application of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer kill all that precious life in the soil eventually turning it into a compacted lifeless dust bowl.
Mr. Cho went to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and planted trees there. Efforts to plant trees had failed three times earlier, under the harsh wind and with only few inches of rainfall a year. With Natural Farming methods the trees had a 97% survival rate and are now 20′ tall.
When the Chinese were preparing for the Olympics to be held in Beijing, China, the Chinese army came in, bringing with them their pigs, which they raise to feed themselves. The population of Beijing was suddenly assaulted by the smell of pig waste and protested violently. The head of the Chinese army sent two men to South Korea to study Natural Farming, which he had heard about. The men came back and the army immediately started practicing the Natural Farming methods and the smell went away. The University of Peking now offers Masters and Ph.D programs in Natural Farming.
Natural Farming contribute to alleviate poverty, disease and environmental destruction by providing an alternative means of livelihood and food production. It is decreasing our reliance on external inputs and fossil fuel as well as improving profitability of local farms.
The environmental crisis and the breakdown of ecosystems are deeply linked to modern agriculture. Current farming methods of agriculture are exhausting the Earth. There is no sustainable future for the over-use of chemicals, over-transportation of food and the dramatic loss of biodiversity. It has become urgent that we change our agricultural methods.
Natural Farming is based on the principle of interdependence among all living things. It aims to have a nurturing impact on the environment, in sharp contrast to the detrimental effects that comes with industrialized chemical agriculture.
Natural Farming recognizes the abundance of nature and utilizes indigenous resources for production. Its philosophy is to maximize the inborn potential of life in the soil respecting the nutritive cycle and development of crops.
Natural Farming is an innovative new method of farming that utilizes nature’s powers for maximum performance rather than human intervention. Natural Farming uses natural materials instead of chemicals to make its unique life giving preparations. Organic materials are locally collected by the farmers and are turned into fermentations and solution of minerals and amino acids. This process avoid expensive purchase of fertilizer from the market and transportation, thus lowering cost for the growers and converting waste into resources.
Unlike organic farming, this method of farming focusses on using things that are naturally available inside or around the farm so that nothing is purchased from outside.
Out of 100 trillion cells of the human body, 90 trillion cells belong to microbes. So it is with the earth’s and the bio-diversity of species teaming with millions of microbes. Dr. Cho's Natural Farming technologies harness the power of IMO’s in multiplying its potency billion and trillion fold in various preparation. IMO improve soils structure and meet all the nutritional requirements of plants, as well as providing a protective shield from pests and diseases. IMO grow into the roots of crops and out into the soil, increasing the root system many thousands times over. They act symbiotically, converting with enzymes the nutrients of the soil into food the plants can use and taking carbohydrates from the plants and turning it into nutrients.
A healthy fertile soil is a soil alive with a multitude of microorganisms. Research found about 700 kilograms of microorganisms to live in 0.1 hectare of land. Natural Farming recreate the conditions found in Natural environments such as old growth forests. Chemical application of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer kill all that precious life in the soil eventually turning it into a compacted lifeless dust bowl.
Mr. Cho went to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and planted trees there. Efforts to plant trees had failed three times earlier, under the harsh wind and with only few inches of rainfall a year. With Natural Farming methods the trees had a 97% survival rate and are now 20′ tall.
When the Chinese were preparing for the Olympics to be held in Beijing, China, the Chinese army came in, bringing with them their pigs, which they raise to feed themselves. The population of Beijing was suddenly assaulted by the smell of pig waste and protested violently. The head of the Chinese army sent two men to South Korea to study Natural Farming, which he had heard about. The men came back and the army immediately started practicing the Natural Farming methods and the smell went away. The University of Peking now offers Masters and Ph.D programs in Natural Farming.