I had the opportunity to meet Masanobu Fukuoka in 2003 at Vanadan Shiva’s farm in Dehradoon. He was a short man with a long white beard, indigo kimono and wooden chappels. He looked like a zen master. He was already 92 years old and spoke very little. One thing he did say, was that only a fool could understand his relationship with Mother Nature.The clever man has created Artificial intelligence, nano technology and even sent a car into outer space but there is no water left to drink!!!!

Fukuoka was the founder of “do nothing farming”or Natural farming, which explored a non-interventional agriculture. An agriculture that recognizes that nature is already perfect and there is nothing we can do to improve upon her. Fukuoka expressed this do-nothing farming through non-tillage direct sown rice cultivation where he eliminated the need for any mechanization, chemicals, plowing etc At Solitude we have explored the same by valuing the huge diversity of plants that make up our cultural nutritional heritage in the context of a food forest. Fukuoka’s philosophy is often mistaken for techniques. He aimed at nourishing the human soul through honoring Mother Nature and understanding our relationship to Her.