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Scientific Proofs of Mokichi Okada's Nature Farming Theories

Hui-lian Xu

Agricultural Experiment Station, International Nature Farming Research Center, 5632 Hata-machi Nagano 390-1401, Japan

Full Paper (PDF File: 28KB)



Abstract


About sixty years ago, when chemical farming just started to spread in Japan, many farmers and agricultural scientists believed in chemical fertilizers and pesticides, with which pests would be exterminated and starvation would end. Contrary to the common opinions, Mokichi Okada proposed nature farming with his systemic theories. However, it has been questioned up to now whether Okada's philosophy on nature farming is capable of scientific proofs. In this report, the author shows his own research data as proof of Okada's nature farming philosophy on soil pollution, plant diseases, pest insects and food quality as follows.

  1. Fertilizers pollute the soil and weaken its power of productivity. The data showed that excessive nitrate pollutes the soil and decreases soil microbial quantity and quality.
  2. Pests would breakout from the excessive use of fertilizers. Disturbed metabolism makes nitrogen intermediate compounds, such as nitrate, amino acids and amides, to accumulate in leaves, weakens the leaves morphologically and as a consequence results in pest invasions and pathogen infections.
  3. The difference in disease incidence between resistant and susceptible plants is attributed to nutritional conditions inside the body. The data shows that the susceptible varieties contain more nitrogen mediate metabolites than the resistant ones even under the same soil nutrition. The nitrogen mediate metabolites are favorable for pathogens.
  4. Vegetables and fruits produced by nature farming taste better than those by chemical farming. The data shows that vegetables and fruits contain more soluble sugars, organic acids and vitamin C, which account for the deliciousness.

With above-mentioned data from several experiments, the theories of Okada's philosophy are perfectly proved in scientific ways. This suggests that Okada's philosophy is of extractions from the nature.