My introduction to natural farming began with the question, “What exactly is safe food?”

 

From there, I began to want to grow my own food with my own hands and try to live a self-sufficient lifestyle, even if only to a small extent.

 

The natural farming method I’m learning is based on three fundamental principles:

 

* No watering

* No fertilizers

* No tilling

 

When it comes to growing plants, these might all seem like necessary practices. However, this farming method places great importance on making the field resemble a “forest”-like environment.

 

It’s an approach that involves growing crops while making the most of nature’s own processes.

 

Having been exposed to this philosophy, I continue to tend my garden while keeping these three principles in mind.

 

My garden is home not only to vegetables but also to a variety of living things—flowers, insects, birds, and even microorganisms invisible to the naked eye.

 

It feels to me as though I’m borrowing this space and receiving just a small share of its bounty.

 

When I gaze out at the garden, I can see the various cycles of life unfolding with each season.

 

Plants that sprout in spring, bloom in summer, bear fruit in fall, and eventually leave behind seeds to carry life into the next season.

 

Insects and other creatures also live out their own lives, passing on life to the next generation before returning to the soil.

 

Though invisible to the eye, microorganisms are likely supporting the cycle of life within the soil as well.

 

When I look at this scene, I feel that I, too, am just one being living within this cycle.

 

People and nature are not separate; we are all connected, each living our own lives on the same earth.

 

The garden is a place that quietly reminds me of this simple yet often forgotten truth.

 

This isn’t about what’s right or wrong.

 

It’s simply about spending time here alongside all these different forms of life.

 

I think the fact that it helps me cultivate that sense of connection is the greatest appeal of natural farming for me.

 

Of course, there’s also the joy of harvesting.

 

But for me, the field is not only a place to grow vegetables; it’s also a place where I can reconnect with the earth, living creatures, and myself.

 

Every time I stand in the field, I make a new discovery.

 

The scenery changes with the seasons, the creatures I encounter are different, and the field reveals a different face from the day before.

 

That’s why I head out to the field again today.

 

For me, the field isn’t a place to prove anything or seek answers.

 

It’s simply about touching the earth and seeing what I feel in that place on that day.

 

I won’t know what that is until the day arrives.

 

That’s exactly why I want to keep standing in the field from now on.