Natural Farming carries a simple but widely overlooked message:
healthy soil makes healthy plants, which in turn make healthy animals
and healthy people. The book explores the consequences in the soil of
applications of superphosphate and other artificial fertilisers over
decades, and explains soil chemistry in terms that every farmer can
understand. It describes the exact role of each mineral and vitamin,
both in the soil and in the body. And it explains how to prevent
expensive disease outbreaks and minimise the use of costly artificial
sprays and fertilisers.
The prescriptions are simple and can be applied to any farming
enterprise market gardens, orchards, broadacre crops and pasture to
restore the natural balance and fertility of the land, improve soil
health, and increase productivity. The book is enlivened with accounts
of spectacular successes in regenerating degraded land and curing
animals that, in many cases, had been given up for dead.
Natural Farming is an essential handbook for any farmer, with detailed
information on:
understanding a soil analysis; establishment and management of
pasture; treatment of compacted soil and erosion; alternatives to
artificial fertilisers, herbicides, and pesticides;
the significance of weeds;
strategies for drought; diagnosis of diseases and deficiencies in stock;
remedies for common diseases, including Johne's disease and
immune-system disorders; and rearing orphan animals.
Natural Farming equips the farmer to get the best from the land using
environmentally sustainable methods that save time, expense, and worry
-- and to supply the rising global demand for pure food.
