The Embodiment of Do-Nothing Farming

Anne-Marie Hardie

Photography by Debbie Roos, North Carolina Cooperative Extension

Edible Earthscapes in Moncure, North Carolina, is much more than a CSA farm to co-founders Jason and Haruka Oatis. It’s the physical embodiment of a philosophy that reconnects humanity to Mother Nature. Its success is due to the passion of the co-founders and their commitment to create a fertile environment that reflects their belief system.

Farming for Jason began as a way to provide food for both him and Haruka in Japan. Although their main source of income came from teaching English, growing food quickly transformed from a hobby to a passion.

“We started to realize that we liked growing food and that we wanted to do that for a living,” said Jason. “But we felt that Japan was not the right place for us to do that.”

Driven to the organic and non-GMO food movement in the USA, Jason and Haruka wanted to be a part of this shift that would rebuild the connection that the intent of food is nourishment. Originally, Jason thought they would return to the West Coast. Born in Alaska, Jason has lived in several areas of the West Coast, including Colorado and Oregon. However, friends recommended that Jason and his wife take a look at Chatham County in North Carolina. Hesitant but curious, Jason and Haruka agreed to look at the area. They instantly loved it and decided to make it their new home.

“Things really fell into place for us as soon as we got here. We met somebody who wanted to start an incubator farm and invited us to use an acre for free,” said Jason. The couple began their farm by growing Asian vegetables, an untapped market in this area in North Carolina. After experiencing some success through their CSA and farmer’s market, they decided to expand their farm.

Today, Jason and Haruka have purchased the land next door to their home in addition to long-term leasing a couple of acres from their neighbors. Currently, they’re farming 4 acres of land in continuous rotation. One of these acres is solely dedicated to rice, while the remaining three are for vegetables.

Due to the water resources required to grow rice in the standard method (flooding the field), rice is not a crop frequently grown in North Carolina. Not one to be easily discouraged, Jason decided to read one of his farming inspirations, “One Straw Revolution,” a book written by Japanese philosopher and farmer Masanobu Fukuoka to discover new tools to grow this crop.

“Masanobu Fukuoka helped us to understand that we could grow rice naturally without the flooding. We grow rice in the summer where we intensively flood it for a very short time (about a week while the seeds germinate) from the water in the catchment pond,” said Jason. “If it rains, it creates its own flooding pattern as the crop is grown in a low-laying bog.”

Jason also adds biochar made from bamboo to the crop and than simply allows nature to take its course. The end result is wild, natural-growing rice where little time is invested in cultivation. This family’s approach to farming is about working in conjunction with nature. Once focused on more monetary pursuits, the couple has made the commitment to embrace a simpler life focused on connecting with each other, nature and the community.

“The farms have become a centerpiece of our community. There are about 20 to 30 individuals living in contingent plots,” said Jason. “It is an unintentional community that has developed on its own—people living together that are all sharing similar values.”

Farming to this couple is in part production and part philosophical, fully integrating spiritualty into farming. Jason believes that there’s a force in nature that’s connected to everything and is fully committed to working with nature instead of against it. This philosophy comes into play throughout the farm, from harvesting to weed management.

“This was a huge breakthrough for us when we stopped trying to control nature and simply accepted that there will be losses and crop failure,” said Jason. “We have learned to take change in stride, like right now, with the coldest winter in 20 years in North Carolina. It’s about adapting and connecting with nature and really watching her.”

One of Masanobu Fukuoka’s philosophies that this couple has adapted is coined “Do-Nothing Farming.” The principal beneath this philosophy is to remove the human controls from farming and allow nature to take its course. This means that the couple no longer invests hours worrying about controlling pests and weeds, but instead creates an environment where the crops will essentially take care of themselves. As a direct result, there seems to be fewer weeds to combat.

“When we stopped looking at the weeds as the enemy, we started to respect them. They settled into an area and seemed in a way to have backed off,” said Jason. “It is important to cultivate a relationship with everything around you, with the weeds and the weather.”

Adapting the “Do-Nothing Farming” philosophy has allowed Jason to not only sustain his farm, but feel both refreshed and content. When the couple began farming, they worked the traditional 60 to 70 hours a week. Three years later, Jason and Haruka realized that they couldn’t sustain this lifestyle.

Something had to give and so they returned to their vision of what farming was—growing food for nourishment. This couple has chosen to commit to the long hours during the spring season. However, when summer approaches, a shift occurs in their workday. Instead of working the standard 12 hours a day, the couple decided to wake up with the sunrise (around 6:00 a.m.) and work until lunch (which could fluctuate between 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.). If things don’t get done, they know that they can return to it tomorrow.

“It’s made a huge difference for us,” said Jason. “We don’t work ourselves during the hot part of the day. It leaves us feeling refreshed. That’s one aspect from Masanobu Fukuoka that we took to heart and made it a part of our farming lifestyle.”

Jason shares that the community has become an extremely special place for both him and Haruka, a place that he proudly calls his home. Adopting this farming philosophy has been an extremely rewarding experience. It’s helped them foster a connection with nature and the world on a daily basis. Connecting with their community is a large part of this family’s lifestyle, from bartering to hosting potlucks.

“That fact that we now perceive money as a tool rather than an obsession has been something that has been very helpful to me. It has helped me rediscover my connection to nature,” said Jason. GT

Anne-Marie Hardie is a freelance writer/speaker from Barrie, Ontario, and part of the third generation of the family-owned garden center/wholesale business Bradford Greenhouses in Barrie/Bradford, Ontario.