“No dependence on chemicals.

From  the time that weak plants developed as a result of such  unnatural practices as plowing and fertilizing, disease and  insect imbalance became a great problem in agriculture.  Nature, left alone, is in perfect balance. Harmful insects  and plant diseases are always present, but do not occur in  nature to an extent which requires the use of poisonous  chemicals. The sensible approach to disease and insect  control is to grow sturdy crops in a healthy environment.

Let us say that there are still some people who think  that if chemicals are not used their fruit trees and field  crops will wither before their very eyes. The fact of the  matter is that by using these chemicals, people have  unwittingly brought about the conditions in which this  unfounded fear may become reality.

No matter how hard people try, they cannot improve upon naturally grown fruits and vegetables. Produce grown in an unnatural way satisfies people’s fleeting desires but weakens the human body and alters the body chemistry so that it is dependent upon such foods. When this happens, vitamin supplements and medicines become necessary. This situation only creates hardships for the farmer andsuffering for the consumer.”

Source:The One-Straw Revolution (Masanobu Fukuoka, October 1975)