About Natural Agriculture

Our NA Farms are now open for the 2009 growing season. Please contact the farm at farm@catskillmtn.org with any questions regarding scheduling tours or other information.

Natural Agriculture

"The principle of the Natural Agricultural method," according to Shumei's founder Mokichi Okada, "is an overriding respect and concern for nature. Nature can teach us everything." Natural Agriculture must be approached more as a philosophy than a technique of food production, and it is this trait that sets it apart from other forms of organic farming. As an agricultural method, Natural Agriculture relies on understanding the subtle physical relationships and spiritual bonds that exist among all of the elements involved in the cultivation of foods: the earth, sun, rain, wind, the farmer, the people who eat the food and the society in which they live. Its purpose is to foster the health and well being of all these elements.

Chemical fertilizers and soil treatments, which are used in conventional farming in the belief that it will increase yields, are never used in Natural Agriculture. The produce of Natural Agriculture is grown with pure soil and water, enriched only by naturally occurring nutrients. Compost is used, not as a nutrient, but to keep the soil warm, moist and soft. When compost is used, it is made from local materials and does not contain any animal products, including manure. The seeds sown in Natural Agriculture are free from genetic modification. Natural Agriculture favors heirloom varieties and eschews hybrids. These principles hold true whether one farms in large fields, in greenhouses or in small windowsill herb gardens.

Pesticides and herbicides are not used in Natural Agriculture. A basic tenet of the practice is that there are no "pests" or "weeds" in nature; there are simply plants or animals that are out of place in a particular environment. Any possible infestation is viewed as a minor problem in comparison to the harm done by using chemical pesticides or herbicides.

The result is crops that are more resistant to disease, better tasting, that stay fresh longer and are more nutritious than those produced by standard industrial farming.

Shinji Shumeikai

Shinji Shumeikai, informally known as Shumei, is a spiritual organization dedicated to elevating the quality of life. Shumei is committed to the creation of an ideal state of health, happiness, and harmony by applying the wisdom and insights of the spiritual leader, Mokichi Okada, whom its members refer to as "Meishusama." Mokichi Okada taught that a world free of sickness, poverty, and discord is possible through the spiritual exercise of Jyorei, the appreciation of art and beauty, and the practice of Natural Agriculture.

Shinji Shumeikai (shinji means divine love, shumei means supreme Light, and kai means organization) is committed to advancing this global transformation. There is no conflict between Shumei's approach to spirituality and any religion that seeks universal wellbeing. People who participate with Shumei come from diverse backgrounds, and many maintain and deepen their various religious beliefs and practices after becoming members.

Shumei's vision is of peace, hope, and happiness. Shumei's purpose is to create a paradise on earth, a world free from illness, poverty, and strife. Shumei guides people toward health, plenty, and peace by advancing a spiritual approach to living in harmony with both nature and our modern, material world.

Shared Organizational Goals

Though born of distinct cultures and vastly different in the scale of their respective activities, the Catskill Mountain Foundation and Shumei share a common goal: to enhance the quality of life for human beings through the arts and the practice of sustainable agriculture. While Shumei is a spiritual organization whose mission is global, the Catskill Mountain Foundation is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is focused modestly on the northern Catskill Region of New York State. Nonetheless, both organizations believe that beauty, whether naturally or humanly made, can awaken the mind to higher levels of vitality; that human beings are not separate from nature, and that an awareness of this connection is conducive to happiness; that a peaceful world, or community, presupposes the happiness of its citizens; and that an ecosystem as generous as the planet we inhabit deserves to be treated with gentleness and respect. It is these principles that guide both organizations, and as each makes progress toward its specific and immediate goals, the broader goal embodied in these principles is never forgotten.

Organic and Natural Agriculture

The organic food movement developed in response to numerous trends in the agricultural industry, particularly the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which pose health hazards. The techniques of organic agriculture include the use of microorganisms in the soil as well as compost and manure, feeding the soil as opposed to feeding the plants, and employing a system of integrated pest management. The practices of the organic food movement are geared toward eliminating the use of chemicals in food production for health purposes.

Natural Agriculture has a broader, more philosophical approach to agriculture that aims not only to produce health benefits that foster the well-being of entire ecosystems, but also the mental, spiritual, and physical well-being of the individual. It grew out of a vision of the interrelationship of all life. Farmers using the Natural Agriculture method base each decision on consideration for the entire web of life. While Natural Agriculture may use natural compost such as leaves and grasses, it does not use manure because it does not believe this benefits the natural soil. When compost is used, local materials are encouraged, and they are used not as a nutrient but to keep the soil moist, warm and soft. The principle belief is that everything needed by the plant for growth is already present in the soil. Each year through the practice of Natural Agriculture, the condition of the soil improves on its own.

Natural Agriculture does not recognize any insect as a "pest" that needs to be exterminated by chemical means. There may be reasons for the presence of these animals which we may not understand, such as a balancing of Nature's systems. Any possible infestation is regarded as a minor problem compared with the harm done by using pesticides.

Organic and Natural Agriculture methods have many similarities, but as a more comprehensive approach to the growing of food, Natural Agriculture can contribute to the evolution of the organic movement worldwide. For example, a key tenet of Natural Agriculture is the vital energy of freshly grown food. Therefore it promotes the consumption of food locally grown. Some organically grown food that has been shipped across country loses important nutritional value.