--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started natural farming after the war…" description: "\"I started natural farming after the war with just one small plot, but gradually I acquired additional acreage by taking over surrounding pieces of aban..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/masanobu-fukuoka-9748_abandoned_i-started-natural-farming-after-the-war_1026944.jpg" --- # I started natural farming after the war with just one… ![“I started natural farming after the war with just one small plot, but gradually I acquired additional acreage by taking over surrounding pieces of abandoned land and caring for them by hand.” quote by Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/masanobu-fukuoka-9748_abandoned_i-started-natural-farming-after-the-war_1026944.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/masanobu-fukuoka-9748_abandoned_i-started-natural-farming-after-the-war_1026944.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/masanobu-fukuoka-9748_abandoned_i-started-natural-farming-after-the-war_1026944.jpg) > “I started natural farming after the war with just one small plot, but gradually I acquired additional acreage by taking over surrounding pieces of abandoned land and caring for them by hand.” [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He began with a tiny farm post‑war and expanded by reclaiming abandoned land, tending it manually. **In simple terms:** Starting small and growing through hands‑on effort. Key Takeaway Begin modestly, expand by caring for what you have. Themes sustainability perseverance growth Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - post‑war reconstruction - urban gardening - community farms - land restoration Key Concepts agroecology land reclamation manual labor Questions to Reflect On - How can you apply small‑scale stewardship to larger projects? - What resources enable gradual land acquisition? A Different Perspective Expansion depends on available abandoned land and labor intensity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abandoned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandoned/) [Acreage Taking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acreage-taking-2323175/) [Additional Acreage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/additional-acreage-2323174/) [Caring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caring/) [Farming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farming/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Just one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-one/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Land Caring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land-caring-2323177/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural Farming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-farming-868848/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot/) [Started Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-natural-2323176/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [The real path to natural farming requires that a person know what unaltered nature is, so that he or she can instinctively understand what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/the-real-path-to-natural-farming-requires-that-a-person-know-what/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [One of the most important discoveries I made in those early years was that to succeed at natural farming, you have to get rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/one-of-the-most-important-discoveries-i-made-in-those-early-years-was/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [Natural farming is just farming, nothing more. You don't have to be a spiritually oriented person to practice my methods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/natural-farming-is-just-farming-nothing-more-you-don-t-have-to-be-a/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [Unless people can become natural people, there can be neither natural farming nor natural food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/unless-people-can-become-natural-people-there-can-be-neither-natural/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [When it is understood that one loses joy and happiness in the attempt to possess them, the essence of natural farming will be realized.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/when-it-is-understood-that-one-loses-joy-and-happiness-in-the-attempt/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [Although natural farming - since it can teach people to cultivate a deep understanding of nature - may lead to spiritual insight, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/although-natural-farming-since-it-can-teach-people-to-cultivate-a/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [In my opinion, if 100% of the people were farming it would be ideal. If each person were given one quarter-acre, that is 1…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/in-my-opinion-if-100-of-the-people-were-farming-it-would-be-ideal-if/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [The final principle of natural farming is NO PESTICIDES. Nature is in perfect balance when left alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/the-final-principle-of-natural-farming-is-no-pesticides-nature-is-in/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [“Before researchers become researchers they should become philosophers. They should consider what the human goal is, what it is that humanity should create.Doctors should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/before-researchers-become-researchers-they-should-become-philosophers/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [“I do not particularly like the word 'work.' Human beings are the only animals who have to work, and I think that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/i-do-not-particularly-like-the-word-work-human-beings-are-the-only/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/the-ultimate-goal-of-farming-is-not-the-growing-of-crops-but-the/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [“If 22 bushels (1,300 pounds) of rice and 22 bushels of winter grain are harvested from a quarter acre field, then the field will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/if-22-bushels-1-300-pounds-of-rice-and-22-bushels-of-winter-grain-are/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [“She allowed herself the luxury of a good cry, figuring that her tears were mingling with the downpour to soak into the soil. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-winegar/she-allowed-herself-the-luxury-of-a-good-cry-figuring-that-her-tears/) [Tracy Winegar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-winegar/) > [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/in-the-past-40-years-the-united-states-lost-more-than-a-million/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) ## More by Masanobu Fukuoka > [Life on a small farm might seem primitive, but by living such a life we become able to discover the Great Path. I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/life-on-a-small-farm-might-seem-primitive-but-by-living-such-a-life/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [“But intending to understand ten things, you actually do not understand even one. If you know a hundred flowers you do not “know” a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/but-intending-to-understand-ten-things-you-actually-do-not-understand/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [Gradually I came to realize that the process of saving the desert of the human heart and revegetating the actual desert is actually the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/gradually-i-came-to-realize-that-the-process-of-saving-the-desert-of/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [If we throw mother nature out the window, she comes back in the door with a pitchfork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/if-we-throw-mother-nature-out-the-window-she-comes-back-in-the-door/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [I wonder how it is that people's philosophies have come to spin faster than the changing seasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/i-wonder-how-it-is-that-people-s-philosophies-have-come-to-spin/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [Unless people can become natural people, there can be neither natural farming nor natural food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/unless-people-can-become-natural-people-there-can-be-neither-natural/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [As we kill nature, we are killing ourselves, and God incarnate as the world as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/as-we-kill-nature-we-are-killing-ourselves-and-god-incarnate-as-the/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [Ignorance, hatred and greed are killing nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/ignorance-hatred-and-greed-are-killing-nature/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [“Food and medicine are not two different things: the are the front and back of one body.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/food-and-medicine-are-not-two-different-things-the-are-the-front-and/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [“Kenyataanya ilmu diet barat menciptakan masalah-masalah yang jauh lebih banyak daripada memecahkannya”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/kenyataanya-ilmu-diet-barat-menciptakan-masalah-masalah-yang-jauh/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [By raising tall trees for windbreaks, citrus underneath, and a green manure cover down on the surface, I have found a way to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/by-raising-tall-trees-for-windbreaks-citrus-underneath-and-a-green/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [We must find our way back to true nature. We must set ourselves to the task of revitalizing the earth. Regreening the earth, sowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/we-must-find-our-way-back-to-true-nature-we-must-set-ourselves-to-the/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [“Extravagance of desire is the fundamental cause which has led the world into its present predicament. Fast rather than slow, more rather than less—this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/extravagance-of-desire-is-the-fundamental-cause-which-has-led-the/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [The person who can most easily take up natural agriculture is the one who doesn't have any of the common adult obstructing blocks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/the-person-who-can-most-easily-take-up-natural-agriculture-is-the-one/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) > [The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/the-ultimate-goal-of-farming-is-not-the-growing-of-crops-but-the/) [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) [Explore all 62 Masanobu Fukuoka quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/) ## More Abandoned quotes > [“I'm surprised when I walk right into yet another abandoned hunters' camp. Tattered plastic sheeting still hangs askew here and there. Blackened aerosol cans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bass/i-m-surprised-when-i-walk-right-into-yet-another-abandoned-hunters/) [Rick Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bass/) > [It’s hard to feel attracted to someone who has abandoned her sense of autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/it-s-hard-to-feel-attracted-to-someone-who-has-abandoned-her-sense-of/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/when-good-media-takes-a-bounded-form-and-comes-once-in-a-period-of/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [In Russia there is an emigration of intelligence: émigrés cross the frontier in order to read and to write good books. But in doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-russia-there-is-an-emigration-of-intelligence-migr-s-cross-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Early on in my life, I had a broken soul. I was abused by my father, abandoned by my mother and ended up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/early-on-in-my-life-i-had-a-broken-soul-i-was-abused-by-my-father/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [We should be recklessly abandoned to Jesus, and just turn it over to Him. Through the support I think the sacrifices will be made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacie-orrico/we-should-be-recklessly-abandoned-to-jesus-and-just-turn-it-over-to/) [Stacie Orrico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacie-orrico/) > [In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished a word that for them has no sense but abandoned; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/in-the-eyes-of-those-lovers-of-perfection-a-work-is-never-finished-a/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [The whole force of the respectable circles to which I belonged, that respectable circle which knew as I did notthe value of security won,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-tarbell/the-whole-force-of-the-respectable-circles-to-which-i-belonged-that/) [Ida Tarbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-tarbell/) > [Barack Obama became president, and he abandoned Iraq. He left, and when he left Al Qaida was done for. ISIS was created because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/barack-obama-became-president-and-he-abandoned-iraq-he-left-and-when/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [“The desperate loneliness is nothing compared to the torture of falling in love and then being abandoned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-nuest/the-desperate-loneliness-is-nothing-compared-to-the-torture-of/) [A.J. Nuest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-nuest/) > [Through it all, this wild life on and off the road , through Jordanian deserts , Spanish islands, German prisons, Caribbean tax scams, halls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-burdon/through-it-all-this-wild-life-on-and-off-the-road-through-jordanian/) [Eric Burdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-burdon/) > [I've never been keen on open adoption. It doesn't seem to solve the main problem with adoption, which is that somebody feels she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-ve-never-been-keen-on-open-adoption-it-doesn-t-seem-to-solve-the/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Blacks abandoned morals, fathers, and real belief in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-lee-peterson/blacks-abandoned-morals-fathers-and-real-belief-in-god/) [Jesse Lee Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-lee-peterson/) > [I just feel abandoned. And I feel, I don't feel represented by the Republican Party. I have always had to defend the social side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/i-just-feel-abandoned-and-i-feel-i-don-t-feel-represented-by-the/) [Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/) > [While society cannot provide employment for its members, the production/work/income nexus has to be abandoned as a justification for our present parsimony to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/while-society-cannot-provide-employment-for-its-members-the/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) [Browse all 932 Abandoned quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandoned/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I started natural farming after the war with just one small plot, but gradually I acquired additional acreage by taking over surrounding pieces of abandoned land and caring for them by hand.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Masanobu Fukuoka" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/i-started-natural-farming-after-the-war-with-just-one-small-plot-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abandoned" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/i-started-natural-farming-after-the-war-with-just-one-small-plot-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/masanobu-fukuoka-9748_abandoned_i-started-natural-farming-after-the-war_1026944.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/masanobu-fukuoka-9748_abandoned_i-started-natural-farming-after-the-war_1026944.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/masanobu-fukuoka-9748_abandoned_i-started-natural-farming-after-the-war_1026944.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I started natural farming after the war with just one small plot, but gradually I acquired additional…” — Masanobu Fukuoka", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Masanobu Fukuoka", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masanobu-fukuoka/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I started natural farming after the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/i-started-natural-farming-after-the-war-with-just-one-small-plot-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masanobu-fukuoka/i-started-natural-farming-after-the-war-with-just-one-small-plot-but/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```