You Are What You Eat And What It Eats

Natural Farming - (Mon) August 10, 2015

Natural Farming in Hawai'i Part 1 from Partners in Development Fdn on Vimeo.

Natural Farming

Natural farming differs from both conventional and organic farming to prevent pollution, erosion, and biodiversity loss through its 5 principles:

  • No tillage
  • No pruning
  • No fertilizer
  • No weeding
  • No pesticides or herbicides

The technique takes advantage of natural processes in the environment to grow crops without the use of outside enhancements or human supplied inputs. The benefit of natural farming is clear: you will know exactly what you eat and what it eats.

What has your food been eating?

Food intake has been a growing concern throughout the modern world due to the growing presence of diet-related health problems. People are growing more and more concerned about what is going into our bodies. "You are what you eat" is a commonly understood truth, but we challenge you to take the thought one step further. In his Ted Talk, Laurent Adamowicz shares his experience in the food industry and discusses the growing concern, not just of what we eat but what our food is eating:


Our solution is to grow our own food! Not only can we control what we eat, but it's a fun activity to get the whole family involved in. We understand that not everyone has the time or space to start their own farm, so we are piloting a a low-maintenance Natural Farming system that will fit on your lanai:

How to make a #PIDFarm

PIDF strives to create healthy and resilient communities throughout Hawaii. Central to this vision is food security and self determination. With the growing awareness of the dangers involved in conventional commercial farming and food importation, we have asked our friend David Wong of Mountain View Dairy to share his expertise on living Pono. David has cultivated his own 20 acre “Natural Farm” in Waianae with spectacular results. He took a day to share his secrets to help us start our very own natural farming project and bring us one step closer to sustainable living. We started our "PIDFarm" by drilling holes in the bottom of a storage bin for drainage, then added pre-prepared soil inoculated over six months with indigenous micro organisms (IMO) at Mountain View Dairy.  Next a layer of "IMO3" was sprinkled on top, and more soil was added. At the top, a layer of "IMO4" coated the soil and was finally covered by mulch to create a 5-layer natural ecosystem. Sparing us the details of growing micro organisms, David explained that the "IMO" numbers simply represent different stages of fermentation. Unlike conventional and organic farming, the Natural Farming method uses only natures techniques. After a week of watering an empty bin to prepare the soil, we planted some kale and tomato seedlings at our office in Liliha.

PIDF Natural Farming Bin

You can follow our progress over the next few weeks/months on our Instagram @pidfoundation or by subscribing to this blog!

 Natural farming - The cultivation and perfection of human needs


Want to learn more about Natural Farming? Contact us at [email protected]

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