COMMUNITY SCREENING AND ACTION KITBY PATRICK LYDON & SUHEE KANG

About the Film
Solutions for our ecological, economic, and social crises come from
unexpected places, as two cultural explorers take us on a journey throughJapan, Korea, and the United States, turning our perceptions of food and life
upside down in an amazingly simple and poetic way.
A meditative yet stunning survey of age-old ideas about food, ecologicalconnectedness, and personal happiness, this deeply touching film weaves
together insightful interviews and majestic landscapes with an eclectic
original soundtrack.
The warm cast of natural farmers, chefs, and teachers together illuminate
a brilliant yet maddeningly simple path to sustainability and well being
for people and the environment, centered around the philosophies of
Masanobu Fukuoka’s seminal book One Straw Revolution.
Four years in the making, Final Straw is a film that will leave you inspired,happier, and perhaps even motivated to make a few changes in your own
lifestyle.

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Director’s Note
Four years ago, my partner and I lived andworked in the middle of two of the biggest,
most fast-paced economies in the world. We
watched each day as a culture centered aroundmonetary wealth, illness, and environmental
destruction took its toll on our friends, families,
and the environment around us, and we knew
very deeply that the story of society that wewere living wasn’t working out so well.
We decided to find a better story, one that was
about the kind of social and ecological wellbeing that we knew was possible, yet which
we saw constantly slipping out of reach of oururban counterparts.
It was during this time that we visited a secluded natural farm in themountains of South Korea, and what the farmer told us changed our lives
forever. Shortly after this meeting, the two of us cashed in our meager lifesavings and have since led a nomadic life with no home and few belongings.
We have traveled through East Asia, Europe, and North America, researching,filming, and working with individuals who have dedicated their lives to livingwith the earth, instead of against it.
The culmination of this work, Final Straw is a film gives us the beginnings ofa new foundation, one on which social and ecological well-being can be built
for everyone, whether we live in the city or in the countryside. We believe it
is a film that will leave you inspired, happier, and perhaps even motivated tomake a few changes in your own lifestyle.

Patrick Lydon + Suhee Kang
Final Straw Directors
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Step 1: Before you Start
Watch the Film

If you haven’t yet seen it, the film is available at FinalStraw.org as a digital
download. Keep this file handy, as you’ll also use it for the screening!
download the film at: http://www.finalstraw.org

What is My Goal?

Set some realistic goals and aims for your event, including:»» Who is your target audience»» How many people do you want to reach»» What is your desired end result or action»» How do you envision facilitating actions after the film

Who Should be Involved?

Think about working closely with figures who would be good speakers if you
plan to have an outside facilitator, and work to connect with:»» Community Organizations»» Local/Regional Government Officials»» Academic Leaders / Professors»» Local chefs, organic food cooperatives, farmers markets

Where is the Screening

It is easiest to hold your screening in a publiclly accessible space that is alreadyprepared to screen films, a theater, public library, university lecture hall or classroom, or even a living room depending on how intimate you want the screening
to be. Check that the venue:»» Is the right size for your anticipated audience»» Is capable of screening a digital video (MP4 / h.264) file
(Most decent laptop computers can handle this job)»» Has audio and video projection equipment that is compatible with the laptop»» Can be reserved for 3+ hours(74 min film + 30 min discussion + 60 min setup and clean up)
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Step 2: Preparing the Event
Promote Your Event

It is important not to be afraid to reach out to like-minded organizations andpeople in your area to promote your event. Here are some suggestions:»» Contact local organizations who are interested in food, agriculture, orsustainability issues, they might want to promote your event or even cohost it with you.
»» Invite guests using whatever means you have, email, facebook,listserv, phone, and especially when you are out and about
meeting people face to face»» Link to FinalStraw.org so guests can learn more about the film»» Create an event poster for sharing on the internet and printing.*»» Send a press release to local newspapers and media, look to send this out
about 3-4 weeks before the event, and don’t be afraid to follow up with aphone call to see if it was received.*»» Finally... Email us at director@finalstraw.org with the city, venue, date, timeand any special guests you’ve invited so we can add it to the official event
calender.
*We have free resources available at www.finalstraw.org/kit/

Aim for a Sustainable Event

No screening event can be perfectly eco-friendly; but we should
be aware of our impact and work towards being friendly to ourenvironment by aiming for:»» ZERO Waste, avoid using single-use cups, plates, utensils, or plastic bottles.
Ask visitors to help with this, for instance, by bringing their own cups, or byrunning a volunteer dish washing station.
»» Home Made and Local, use locally-sourced snacks or foods, and support
local businesses (or your friends’ kitchens) as much as is possible.
»» Promote Sustainable Transportation by including bus, rail, bike, or carpool
options. Think about the proximity of your audience to the event space.
»» Face to Face, save paper by using face to face communication and internet
as PR tools, and placing posters strategically (for instance, in a cafe
where you talk with the owner about the event) instead of posting themeverywhere.
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Step 3: The Screening Event
Pay What You Can

Instead of charging a set ‘ticket’ price for your event, offer a ‘sliding scale’
suggest a payment at the door, such as:
Unemployed: Free
Student: $5 suggested donation
Employed: $10 -$20 suggested donation
You should adjust accordingly to cover the costs of putting on the event. The
important point is that the screening should be accessible to anyone. If
someone doesn’t have a job or can’t afford to pay, let them know that you
appreciate them coming, ask them if they would like to help set up or clean
up for the event, and happily welcome them to enter without payment.

Event Pre-Flight Check

There are a few common mis-steps that can be prevented by doing a
pre-flight check of your equipment and event setup:»» Power - Make sure there is a power drop for your equipment andthat the line is taped down well if it is crossing the room.
»» Laptop Quality - Test the film file on the laptop before the screening to
make sure it plays back without issue. Sometimes even a new laptop canhave issues smoothly playing a full screen HD video file.
»» Screen Height - There are subtitles in this film. A good lot of them. Make
sure that the bottom portion of the screen can be seen from multiple
vantage points in the room. In some venues, this means the screen willneed to be projected a bit higher than you would think!
»» Sound - For a screening with a few friends, small computer speakers might
be enough, but if you’re showing to more than a few people, bring in
speakers that a) work with your laptop, and b) provide enough loudness tofill a room of people who might be shuffling, sneezing, or otherwise!

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Introduce the Film

Before the film begins, it’s nice to let the audience know what you like somuch about the film and why it inspired you enough to host a screening. Keepthis relatively short and to the point!

Group Discussion After the Screening

The discussion should allow us to search for deeper meaning and to suggest
actions based on this deeper meaning. It is up to you how you approach thediscussion, but for your reference, here are some suggested talking points to
get discussion started after the film.
It’s okay if you don’t have an experienced facilitator to help with yourscreening, just make sure to keep an open and positive attitude, andhave fun with it. Here are some tips for those taking on the role...
»» Be Knowledgable - You should watch the film yourself at least once before
your screening event. Keep in mind that you do not need to be an expert on
the issues, but you should have a basic understanding in order to help keep
the discussion on track.
»» Remember Your Role - Being a facilitator is not the same as being a teacher
or lecturer. Rather than teaching, your job as a facilitator is simply to bea neutral figure, and to help move the discussion in the right direction
without imposing your own views on the discussion.
»» Keep a Positive Tone - If the tone begins to get too negative (eg: people
only complaining about what is wrong), kindly remind the audience that weare here to focus on what we CAN do. The idea is not to ignore problems,
but to acknowledge them and focus on opportunities for solutions. Whatcan we learn from the stories of the farmers, cooks, and parents in the film?
»» Focus on Actions - The purpose of the discussion is not to approve ordisapprove of the farmers or their ideas, but to learn from their experiences
and to help build your own actions from these experiences.
»» Encourage a Dialogue Rather than a Debate - People engaged in a debate
try to convince others that they are right. People engaged in a dialogue
try to expand their personal views by actively listening and working tounderstand each other. Remind the audience to work towards the latter!
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Step 4: Take Actions
Commit to Taking Ongoing Actions

For real sustained change to occur our actions must be continuous. To help
keep momentum in your own local movement, aim to form small focused‘local action’ groups which meet and act regularly. In these action groups:»» Focus on what you can do now ... and do it now»» Support and work with other like minded groups instead of competing»» Keep your actions positive»» Keep the public informed; blog, talk, write to politicians and newspapers»» Schedule meetings with local politicians and figure heads to talk about
issues»» Do the right thing for social and ecological well being. Not the easy thing,
not the economic thing, not the socially acceptable thing. The right thing.

All Actions Matter

Whatever you come up with, remember that:»» The options are only limited to your imagination»» Every action, even the smallest action (or ‘non-action’ like a decision to stop
doing something) is worth a great deal, especially if you commit as a group
to follow through with it.

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Step 5: Support Final Straw
We are not wealthy people. Your directors Patrick and Suhee are two humanbeings who quit our jobs, became vagabonds, and spent four years and ourentire life savings in order to bring this film to you.
If you the film had some positive effect on you, we ask that you show yoursupport by donating. All donations go directly to supporting our ongoingadvocacy work, which can be seen at www.finalstraw.org

Share Proceeds with the Final Straw Organization

Instead of requiring a ‘screening fee’ from community groups, as mostdocumentary makers to, we trust that you will donate a percentage of yourevent’s proceeds to Final Straw. Many donate 100% of their proceeds, but
we’ll leave that up to you.
Send Your Donation to Final Straw:
www.finalstraw.org/screening-donate/
Every donation we get goes to supporting our ongoing advocacy work!

Say Hello to Us!
Finally, let us know how it all went! Share reviews, thoughts,
actions, and pictures with us at director@finalstraw.org. We love
hearing about (and sharing) all of the screenings that happen andthe actions that are being inspired in cities around the world.

A project for social and ecological well being by.org
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Top Questions Answered
During the touring of our film Final Straw: Food, Earth, Happiness, and our interactions with press and audiences, we’ve come upon some questions that repeat
themselves often. Here, you’ll find a list of these questions and some answers.
The answers are generalized a bit, but we hope they help guide you to a productive understanding of the film, natural farming, and possible actions which canspur from this way of thinking.

What is Natural Farming
Natural farming can be thought of as ‘farming with nature’. The modern
version of this way of farming was developed in middle of the 20th century
by Masanobu Fukuoka and Mokichi Okada, two Japanese farmers who,
independent of each other, came to the realization that there was something
terribly wrong with the way the modern world was growing food. Yet, it’s not
so much of an ‘invention’ as it is a re-discovery of our human ability to connect
in a deep and meaningful way with the earth. Similar movements in agriculture
happened not only in Japan, but India, Australia, Germany, and the UnitedStates, all independently of each other, and all around the same time.
As opposed to our standard top-down view of agricultural production, natural
farming is a horizontal system, placing humans and nature on equal footing.
That is to say, neither humans nor plants nor animals are higher or lower than
one another in terms of importance/value, as we are all part of a system whichmust work together in order to thrive. This view allows us to be thankful andrespectful in ways which are similar to those of the native North Americans, orother native peoples who lived with the land as a partner.
As practiced in Japan, Korea, and throughout the world, this way of producing
food helps the immediate and surrounding environment become enrichedinstead of depleted. It’s worth noting that no form of industrial agriculture canclaim to be ‘sustainable’ in this sense.
Natural farming is an amazingly ecologically beneficial way of farming. A recent
study by Rodale Institute showed that if natural farming were implemented ona global scale, could “sequester more than 100% of current [global] annual CO2
emissions”.1
1

http://rodaleinstitute.org/reversing-climate-change-achievable-by-farming-organically/

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Natural farming depends distinctly on cultivating a relationship with yourindividual plot of land, and using this relationship to inform how you grow food.
In this respect, natural farming is more a ‘way of seeing’ nature, rather than a‘method of farming’ however, natural farmer, Yoshikazu Kawaguchi gives somemain “ideas” to be mindful of:»» There is no need to till the soil»» Bugs and weeds are not your enemies»» There is no need to make prepared compost»» Do not bring any inputs from outside the farm (eg: pesticide, herbicide,fertilizer)»» Respond to nature, weather, and the specific conditions of your location
Again, these are Kawaguchi’s thoughts, and they are based on his relationshipwith the land, but they are not a “natural farming” bible. We must allow
ourselves to come into a working relationship with our land, and to have arespect for the land and for other people, and from this working relationship we
can develop our own way of natural farming.

Isn’t this the same thing as “Organic” farming?
Organic farming is a big category which includes everything from small family
farms to large-scale industrial farms. While some organic farmers do indeed
practice farming in a way similar to Japanese natural farming, many ‘certified
organic’ farms are also unfortunately bound to government mandates which are
not always healthy for the environment, let alone healthy for the food or the
farmers who make it.
An example which may surprise many is that USDA Certified organic foodallows for the use of pesticides and chemicals; while natural farmers use zero
pesticides or chemicals. It’s a good reason why we would benefit from getting
produce directly from a local farmer we trust.2
Other permissible practices in “organic” farming are fertilizers – which areoften heavily used and can cause serious environmental issues – and the useof “tilling” or turning over the soil, a practice which Natural Farmers see as a
destruction of the natural, physical, and biological components which make up
the soil, and a major factor in our current global issues with soil degradation anddesertification.
2

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5068682

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In the end, Natural Farming is not a methodology, but really more of an ideaof how to live as as equals with nature. Thinking of it this way, it is technically
impossible to imprint any kind of certification on this way of farming. But thenagain, if certification exists to establish trust, the better way to establish thattrust is to form a relationship with the people who produce your food and this,indeed, is something that natural farming is excellent at facilitating.

Natural Farming sounds nice, but ...

(Excuses might include: It’s too idealistic. It’s not possible. We need chemicals,
tilling, pesticides. These farmers must already be wealthy to afford this.)
There are many variations of this question/criticism, and invariable one comesup at each screening. Someone thinks that natural farming sound nice, but
has myriad excuses as to why they can’t personally do it, or why they think it’s
impossible to accomplish in this world.
First, understand that we (and this film) are not here to convert you into
natural farmers. We are here because we’ve spent the past four years of ourlives working to open a little window that allows people to see a new way of
thinking and doing. This little window into the natural farming mentality is
one that shows us how to simultaneously cultivate social and ecological wellbeing, all while feeding people good, healthy food. Is it possible? Yes. But it
requires a mindset change and a shift away from the common capitalist focus oncompetition, wealth, endless growth, and material goods.
In a general way, we can indeed say that natural farming is impossible so longas we continue to operate within the limited way of thinking and doing we callglobal capitalism. In order to be successful, we need to remove ourselves fromthe limitation of thinking that our solutions must all fit within the social andeconomic box of capitalism as we know it today. The box, in fact, is a major partof the problem.
Rather than calling it a ‘box’ Suhee and I like to visualize capitalism as a train.
Picturing this train called capitalism, let’s imagine that all of us who areparticipating in the capitalist system, the workers, the consumers, the owners(eg: most of the population of modern society) are on board this train andconduct their business mostly within the confines of this train.
It’s a comfortable place, cushy chairs, all the food and alcohol you could want in
the cafe car, a karaoke room, sleeping cars. It’s a great place to spend time. The
issue with all of this, is that this train is heading for a cliff.
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Environmental degradation, rampant inequality, a sociopathic economic
system, however you want to spell it, the train we are on is not in it for thelong term. The majority of well-grounded economists, scientists, philosophers,or ecologists who are not funded by industry interests will concur with thissentiment, as has most recently, the United Nations and an international
coalition of such researchers.
Thinking about the train and natural farming, it’s easy to see that natural
farming exists pretty well outside of the train. Those of us on board can see itfrom our window seats, like we did in watching the film, and it looks beautiful
to us, but we have mostly come to the conclusion that it is impossible because,
well, it won’t work on our train!
We’re right, of course. Natural farming won’t work on the train, and that is a
big part of the point. It shouldn’t work on the train. If it did work on the train,
it would be heading towards the cliff with every other part of our competitionbased capitalist society, and that’s not where we need our solutions to sit.
The way that natural farmers have made it work, for better or worse, has been
to get off the train, to reject the tenets of capitalist economics as we practicethem today, and to build their own kind of economic system that suits the wellbeing of society and our earth.
We essentially have two main choices:»» We can stay on this train, and continue working towards the bigger, thefaster, the more competitive, the extractive, the global, the endlessly growing
wealth, the dishonesty, the inequality.
»» We can get off the train and work towards the small-scale, the slow, thecooperative, the regenerative, the local, the sharing of wealth, the honest
relationship-based, the communal.
In order to be successful at natural farming – or any of the next-generation
people-powered occupations we need in this world – we need to re-invent
the economic system to serve our needs as people, and the needs of theenvironment.
Of course, it is understandable that many people will doubt this is possible
because for our entire lives the only way of operating we have known has
been capitalism, the pursuit of money as a means and end. We have to remove
ourselves from this mindset in order for things like natural farming to work.

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Natural farming is a way of working based on relationships, compassion, andregeneration and so it is fundamentally incompatible with an economic system
based on scale, competition and extraction.
The farmers who are successful are building new economic systems based on,
yes, relationships, compassion, and regeneration.

Natural Farming Doesn’t Seem Realistic
If we’re speaking about being realistic, let’s first question the way we currently
live and work and produce.
Looking at our situation realistically as human beings living on planet earth,
there is realistically no way for us to continue operating solely within a systemthat places economic growth and profits ahead of all else. There is also no
realistic way for humanity to continue growing food and producing goods on anindustrial scale that necessitates continuous extraction of limited resources.
Industrial scale production of anything requires a fundamental separationof ourselves from the reality of the world we live in. Now, as beings who arereliant on the earth and ecological cycle for production and life itself, we mightunderstand that producing and living in a system which disconnects us from thereality of this ecological cycle is not a very wise position to be in.
The global-industrial system of production is anything but realistic and ischronically prone to producing social inequality, environmental destruction, andcalamity on many levels. Does this sound familiar?
As opposed to industrial scale farming, natural farming is inherently based ona realistic view of the world simply because it requires constant contact anda relationship with the reality of nature and the earth which supports us. It
operates not in a walled-off box, but out in nature where the entire process isvisible and connected with reality each and every day.
Natural farming (and similar methods such as permaclture, agroecology andregenerative farming) are the most realistic ways of producing food for the
population of the earth.

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Such ways of producing food not only rely on a connected sense, understanding,and relationship with the real world that we live in, but when approachedproperly, they can bring dozens of times more food per acre of land than eventhe best managed industrial-scale farm.
The trade-off, of course, is increased human power. In order to feed the world
with natural farming, we need more people involved in the occupation ofnatural farming. Good thing then, that we have such high unemployment andunder-employment rates. Ready to get your hands dirty and fix the system?

How can you make a living with Natural Farming?
There are many small-scale farmers who make a living doing natural farmingor permaculture or some similar form of regenerative agriculture. So how do
we reconcile this? How is it possible? Surely they must be very special people,
talented, or have some kind of funding behind them. This is not really the case.
They are all normal people who have simply released themselves fromtraditional social and economic thinking, and who have found some creative
way of making and selling food that is all based on the cultivation ofrelationships.
They are people who have decided that doing things at a small scale where
they can use their creativity and foster relationships is the healthiest and mostsane way of earning a living, and they’ve found customers who agree with that
sentiment.
One farmer is a full time employee of a restaurant who wants to use all naturally
farmed ingredients. They asked a farmer to start a natural farm for them andshe did, and it works financially for the farmer and the restaurant and thecustomers.
Many other farmers have a community supported agriculture (CSA) model. The
key for this to work, is that they invite the community to their farm to show
them the land, to explain the premise of how it works and why it is importantand healthy for them and the land. The customers see it, they understand, they
become connected, and in most cases, they are customers for life.

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But normal people don’t like to eat ugly food.
The experience of natural farmers around the world shows otherwise.
Consumers will eat aesthetically unappealing food. If they are educated about it.
Natural farmers do not generally sell to supermarkets, who often have highaesthetic requirements for their foods, and more often take too much of a cut
for farmers to turn a profit. Instead, they work directly with consumers, face toface in farmers markets, or through a CSA where the customers must visit thefarm at least once a year.
In the end, if customers are physically brought to a farm and educated about
the foods and processes and benefits, they will not only accept food that is too
small or has holes in it, they will often rejoice in it because they know it is a signof a healthy environment.

Is it possible to feed the world with natural farming?
The more useful way to ask this question, is to look at our current way of
producing food and ask:
“Is it possible to continue feeding the world with industrial agriculture?”
The answer to this is an unequivocal no.
Today’s best science, along with decades of independent agricultural researchtells us that it is absolutely not possible to feed the world past our current
generation if we continue industrial-scale farming.
A recent United Nations Report by the Food and Agriculture Organization, gives
us 60 years of industrial scale farming before we destroy our environment so
irreversibly that the world will enter a period of mass starvation from which it
may not be able to recover. 34
Decades of research by the United Nations, along with institutions such as
Rodale Institute, give us some important recommendations.5
3
45

http://unctad.org/en/Docs/ditcted200715_en.pdf
http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/un-only-small-farmers-and-agroecology-can-feed-the-world
http://rodaleinstitute.org/

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There is a general agreement by most farmers and researchers who are
studying how to feed the population of this growing planet, that the only way
to feed the world well into the future is to convert to ways of growing food thatare:»» Predominantly Small-Scale / Local / Regional»» Biodiverse in nature, incorporating many kinds and varieties of plants»» 3olar-based, not reliant on external inputs and petroleum-based chemicals»» Regenerative for the environment instead of extractive (destructive)»» Based more on local and seasonal growing and consumer habits
Around the world, millions of Regenerative Farmers, Natural Farmers, andPermaculturists are working today to achieve all of these points ... and they
already feed most of the world.6

Don’t we need chemicals, pesticides, GMOs, to feed the world?
Sure you do … if you want to grow things that aren’t meant to grown in theplace/season that you are trying to grow them in, or if you are a seed company,
or a chemical manufacturer who used to produce chemical weapons and needs
to sell their chemicals to someone, or anyone else with a vested interest in
making money by supplying farmers things they don’t really need.
But you don’t unequivocally need any of these things to live and to feed theworld, and in nearly all cases, continuing to use them works against the wellbeing of our earth and the future of humanity.
The Myth that We Need Industrial Agriculture has been debunked, andthe only ones who are holding onto this myth, are the industry giants whohelped create it – as well as the mainstream media who rely on the industry
for funding. This partially explains why most people seem to think we needindustrial agriculture.7
In the United States, 80% of the corn we grow is not used for humanconsumption — most of it goes to cattle feed or ethanol fuel production (NYTimes). If industrial corn crops in the U.S. alone were converted to grow foodfor human consumption, we could feed 1/2 of the world’s starving population.
So to begin with, we grow enough food to feed the world already, but we havea giant problem with how we use the food that we do grow.8
678

http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0802/regenerative.shtml
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2013-09-03/permaculture-and-the-myth-of-scarcity
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/31/opinion/corn-for-food-not-fuel.html

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The other part of this myth is that smaller local farms can not match theyield of high-technology industrial farms. This is simply not true, and anyone
who has stepped foot on a natural farm can immediately see the truth. Small
scale farming operations based on natural farming, regenerative farming, andpermaculture can provide yields of 5-10 higher than those of the very best
GMO-based conventional industrial farms when growing vegetables, berries,
and fruits; and natural grain (rice) farms consistently show yields equal to or
better than the most productive conventional farms.9
The idea that we don’t have enough food to feed the world, the idea that
we need technological advances to change this ‘food shortage’ is completely
absurd.
If a proper distribution system alone were put into place, the world would not
be hungry. Better yet, if communities were empowered to grow their own food,the world could locally grown foods as a primary source of nourishment, incooperation with a much smaller regional and global distribution systems thatare based on human needs first instead of economic growth.
Even so, this documentary isn’t really about converting us all to being natural
farmers — although it’s a nice sounding dream — it is about the idea that there
is something missing from our lives in between the layers of concrete, glass, and9

http://www.resilience.org/stories/2013-09-03/permaculture-and-the-myth-of-scarcity

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asphalt found in our cities. It’s about the idea that as human beings, having a
deeper connection with nature, and with the sources of our foods, can help us
be happier, more aware, and more responsible in the way we go about living ourlives.
The reality is that the only way forward for humanity to both ensure ecologicalwell being to support our population, as well as to feed the world, is to movetowards regenerative ways of farming that rely more heavily on human power,
creativity, and a relationship with our environments.

You haven’t defined natural farming for me. I want a definition.
There is no definition.
Indeed, if we could define natural farming, it would mean that we’ve all missed
the point of natural farming.
The closest one might come, is to say that natural farming is about you and yourrelationship with nature, with the plants, earth, and the people who eat yourfood. It is about cultivating a compassionate – even empathic – relationship withnature, and allowing this relationship to direct how you work.
There is no such thing as ‘the natural farming technique’ and beware, anyone
who tells you differently might be trying to sell you something. There are various
techniques that natual farmers use, yet all of them relate back to the individual’s
relationship with their land.
Yoshikazu Kawaguchi tells us that there are some main “ideas” to be mindful of:»» There is no need to till the soil»» Bugs and weeds are not your enemies»» There is no need to make prepared compost»» Do not bring any inputs from outside the farm (eg: pesticide, herbicide,fertilizer)»» Respond to nature, weather, and the specific conditions of your location
Again, these are Kawaguchi’s thoughts, but they are not a “natural farming”
bible. We must allow ourselves to come into a working relationship with ourland, and to have a respect for the land and for other people. In the end, it is
only you who can define natural farming for yourself.
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I’m not a farmer. I live in the city. What can I do?
First, remember that good things begin when you turn off the television andstart interacting with the people in your community on a regular basis. Get
together. Plan. Talk. Take actions in your community for your community. The
city is part of our sustainable future, but only inhabitants like you are leading
the way. It’s your job to make that change happen, and it starts with youractions.
The natural farming mindset is not just for country people, in fact, it is a mindset
that potentially has more to offer to urban city dwellers than anyone!
The easiest way to use the natural farming mentality in your job, in yourconsumption habits, in your dealings with other people, is just to remember
the core idea of natural farming itself -- to cultivate truthful and meaningful
relationships with the world around you. Remember this relationship-based
mentality, and use it as a frame for your dealings with the world.
We can use this ‘relationship-based’ mindset whenever we contemplate making
a purchase of an object or service. Simply ask ourselves what are possible ways
to obtain the products and services we use in our life in a sustainable way thatenforces relationships, compassion, and community.
With this in mind, here’s a handy list to go through when making purchasing
choices:»» Can Someone Share it? – Is there a person near me who can share this tool,
space, food, or skills with me so that I don’t have to buy something that will
be used only for a short time?
See: www.freecycle.org | www.streetbank.com | www.ilovefreegle.org»» Can I Make it? – Can I make it, repair it, patch it, up-cycle it, or learn how to
do so from someone?
See: www.youtube.com | www.openculture.com»» Can I Make a new Relationship? – Can I form a new relationship withsomeone who makes or sells what I need, instead of buying from a big box
store? Can I support a local farmer, craft guild, or craft space, or collective?
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»» Do I Really Need It? – If you can not get what you want by any of the abovemeans, the last step is to question yourself: do you really need this thing orservice that you so desire? Of course, there are times when we really do needit, but you might find that, after going through this list of questions, there area great many things that you really just don’t need, that don’t add to yourhappiness or well being, and that just take money out of your pocket and helpline the pockets of the already wealthy. Certainly, we found many many thingsin this category! This is one of the goals you can work at slowly and gradually,a progression of removing things and habits from your life and filling the spacewith community, relationships, and compassion.
From this list, you can also start to come up with your own creative solutions.
If there are no local farmers in your urban area, or if it is truly too expensive foryou, can you appeal to the farmers and perhaps help work with them and learnin exchange for food? Is there vacant land somewhere? Can you form a group ofcaretakers who want good food to start working with that land? Can you appeal
to city or community leaders to start a local food or garden network? Can you
innovate and make a box gardens that fit into tight urban spaces? Can you starta local craft sharing and production network?
The opportunities for you to create a local economy based on things like
community, relationships, and compassion are endless. The only true limitation
is your own creativity and your willingness to get out there and make it happen!

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Individual people can’t change the world.
This narrative is presented to us by the very people who would be only so happy
if individuals continued to do nothing, to take no actions, to put up with thesystem as it is presented to them, to abide by unjust laws, to continue feeding
money into giant corporations. The narrative that the individual can not change
the world is a narrative which serves only the wealthy and the powerful.
You can change the world. The biggest changes in the history of our society havebeen spurred by the actions of one individual who worked with yet anothergroup of individuals. One of our main mental blocks is that we know the rightthing to do, but we are afraid to do it. We are afraid to not have a nice car, tonot have the newest phone, to fix our own clothes, to stick up for people whoare marginalized, to carry our cup and bottle with us; what will society think ofus!?
The only way to change the world is for individuals to step up and do the rightthing, no matter what the social consequences might be. That is not the role ofsome far-off hero. That is the role of you.
It is your role to change the world.
Are you ready to step into that role? The world is ready for you to do it.

Should we all just live in the forest and ignore technology?
Absolutely not!
Natural farming has nothing to do with going backwards, and everything to
do with finding a way forward. It is about finding a way to live with this earth
instead of fighting against it, it is about knowing our home and coming into
a close working relationship with it instead of constantly creating devices to
distance ourselves from it. It is about a sane economy that works for all people,
and about responsible technology that helps the human family and the earth
come together instead of separating us.
Technology has a role, but in a scenario that luminary thinkers Mahatma Gandhi
and E.F. Schumacher warned us of, technology today has overstepped it’s role.

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Instead of technology serving mankind, today we have essentially allowed
ourselves to become slaves to technology; we have allowed it do destroy socialand ecological well being at nearly every turn.
In the view of so-called “appropriate” technology, we need technology thatallows human beings to work creatively with their hands and with meaning.
Technology that allows us to deepen our connection with others, and to deepen
our relationship with this world. Technology that makes work and life easier, yetdoes not remove our ability to be creative and happy in the work that we do.
A recent study by Dr. Iain McGilchrist showed that, while inflation-adjusted
wages doubled in America between 1955 and 1999, the percentage ofAmericans who reported they were very happy with their jobs dropped – from
44% in 1955, to 16% in 1999. Our jobs might be earning us more money, butthey are progressively making us less happy.10
I bring this up because it relates to the fact that the technology implemented inour current way of industrial farming takes much of the joy and creativity out of
the job of farming. Natural farming reinstates this joy and creativity, allowing us
to work closer to the land and to our products, to work happily, creatively, andwith meaning each day. That’s the kind of job and technology we need more of!

I want to support local, but I can’t afford farmer’s market, handmade
goods, ect...
We had this reaction at first. Then we asked ourselves, why can’t we afford
these things? Why do we think they are too expensive?
In the first case, during the time that I had a salaried job, I took a look at myexpenses. I had my own apartment at one point. I went out to eat a few times a
week. I had been buying new computer equipment, new things for my kitchen
and apartment, new phones every year. I went out for drinks once a week withco-workers or friends. I drove up to the city weekly. All of these were luxuries
that I didn’t need, many of them were actually causing more harm and stressthan good, and all of them were taking away my ability to buy, cook, andappreciate good food.
So I got rid of them. I moved into a smaller place and shared it. I had my friends
over for dinner instead of us going out, and they did the same for me, it wasa great adventure in cooking and camaraderie. I stopped buying things that I
10https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXiHStLfjP0

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knew would just be toys forgotten in a few months or a year. I gave away a lotof things. Later on, when we decided to make the film, I just up and gave awaynearly everything, moved out of having an apartment, and I still don’t have apermanent home and I live below the poverty line. That’s a bit radical, but you’ll
find your own balance, I hope.
Of course, there are economic hardships which might seem impossible to getaway from. Most of this, however, is because those of us who find ourselvesin economic hardship are attempting to fight out of this economic hardshipby being successful in the very consumption-based economic system that
continues to work against us. In fact, we need to do the opposite.
In order to be successful, we need to step away from that system andunderstand how to be successful outside of it or regardless of it. Not buying into
a consumption-based lifestyle where your consumption level defines you is one
great and easy way to independence, to well being, and to success for yourself.

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In this way of thinking, you might begin to realize that, if you think somethingis too expensive, perhaps you can work or talk with the people who make it
to understand why it is expensive. Perhaps given time, you can be the one to
make it yourself. Your success and ability depends in great part, on your noncompliance with the portions of social and economic structure that work against
you and others like you.
Again, a reoccurring theme here is to do the right thing, not the easy thing.
Sometimes that might mean changing your social group, sometimes it mightmean changing your occupation, where you live, or what you do in your sparetime.
The important point is to do it and to listen to your own personal truth rather
than the banter of society and the television.

Are you rich? Who funds you? How did you afford to make this film?
Suhee and Patrick have lived the last four years far below the poverty line.
We have very little money, spend very little money, and own very few things, yet
we live happily, we eat mostly really good food, and we can do so because weno longer buy into the consumption-based capitalist system.
We don’t have a home, or a car, we don’t own much of anything that we can’t
carry with us, we don’t have fancy phones, no internet plans, no television. We
have our cameras, laptops, and the basics for our personal well being and that’s
it. Some might call that extreme. We happen to think the modern capitalist
lifestyle is extreme. To us, a more simple lifestyle is not only reasonable, it is the
only way we could accomplish the making and touring of this film.
The making of this film predominantly consisted of Suhee and Patrick working
16+ hours a day to do all of the jobs that an entire filming and production anddistribution and touring crew would normally do. However, we would not havebeen able to do it if not for the dedication of literally hundreds of volunteers
and individuals we met along the way who believed in the project enough todonate their own time, their couches, their expertise, their passion.
During our continuing work, we continue to be supported by such individuals,
and we continue to live below the poverty line. Happily!
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Doesn’t This Only Work in Japan? Who Can Benefit?
The techniques learned in Japan have been practiced with success in varying
climates throughout the world and most importantly, in agricultural lands which
are struggling with soil management, soil fertility, and general self-sufficiency.
But remember, natural farming is not about technique, it is about having theright mindset and relationship with your land, and allowing the technique tocome from this mindset and relationship. Most food producing land can benefit
greatly through knowledge and understanding of the natural farming ideology.
So, although the ‘method’ differs in each application, the basics which Fukuoka
laid out over 60 years ago, stay the same: no tilling, no chemicals or pesticides,
no outside fertilizer, and most importantly, listen to nature and have a respect
for the natural system which produces your food.

Who is Masanobu Fukuoka?
Fukuoka is the Japanese agricultural scientist who, in the 1940s, began
developing a system of farming, based not on advances in the science which he
was trained, but on the seemingly backward process of removing human andscientific intervention.
His master plan was simple: to allow himself to exist and produce food simply,
working in harmony with nature instead of against it. Much of his philosophy
is detailed in his bestselling book, “The One Straw Revolution,” now available
widely, having been translated into over 25 languages.
Fukuoka passed away peacefully on his farm in 2008 at the age of 95, but his
philosophy of Natural Farming lives on. His “Natural Farming” movement has
spawned countless other books, research projects, and a slew of internationalrecognition, yet many are still unaware of his successes to this day.

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Where can I learn more about Natural Farming?
There are many great resources in print form. Highly recommended
and still in print today is Masanobu Fukuoka’s own book The One Straw
Revolution and Sowing Seeds in the Desert, both edited and translated by Larry
Korn. For an in-depth study examining the differences between natural farming
and other ecological farming methods, Larry Korn’s latest book, One Straw
Revolutionary.11

I still have a question
Well, you can write to us at director@finalstraw.org if you like. Or visit us,
wherever we are at the moment. Or ask us over for dinner. Or you could findand visit your local natural farmer.
In the end, it’s all about cultivating relationships and compassion with natureand the people around you. Most questions can be answered by looking tocompassion and relationships at the root, and working from there to see how
your problem can be solved or mitigated through this mindset.

11

http://www.chelseagreen.com/one-straw-revolutionary

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