Natural agriculture theory is not as new as it seems. The first to suggest and test it was the scientist agronomist I. Ye. Ovsinsky. As a result of 10 years of work, in 1899, he wrote a book called "The New Farming System", in which he revealed the principles and evidence that a gentle approach to soil is less aggressive towards nature, less laborious and ultimately more productive. than an intensive farming system.
Ivan Evgenievich Ovsinsky is the first Russian agronomist who showed the uselessness of the plow. S. M. Skornyakov in the book "The Plow: A Breakdown of Traditions?" (VO Agropromizdat, 1989). Here is his story in brief.
At first, Ovsinsky worked in the Far East, and learned a lot from the Chinese. When he returned, he began to work in Bessarabia, then in the Podolsk province. I tested my new system for ten years.
The results were amazing. In 1898 he gave a lecture in Kiev. Then, with great difficulty, he published a book. It shook the minds of farmers, and in ten years it was reprinted four times in Russia.
It should be said that the first detailed instructions on the role of organic mulch, on the natural structure of canals and the non-necessity of plowing were given twenty years before Ovsinsky D. I. Mendeleev. In France, Holland and Germany, there were also devotees of this system, receiving 20-44 centners / ha of grain.
Ovsinsky never plowed deeper than 5 cm. The main advantage of his system was
exceptional resistance of crops to both droughts and waterlogging. Whenever u
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the crops of the neighbors burned out or the grain did not sprout at all, Ovsinsky collected excellent harvests, twice the best harvests of that time. Over time, his crops grew.
Ovsinsky's method was tested for five years at two experimental stations in the south of Ukraine, Moldova, and showed no advantages. Many farms have also experienced it - however, with large
deviations, and received no results either. For two years V. A.
Bertenson, scientist at the Ministry of Agriculture; he noted many virtues
technology and excellent condition of the fields, especially maize, which grew under three meters and “tied 8-10 large cobs”. However, Bertenson did not recommend the system for widespread use.
Reacted very cleverly to Ovsinsky D. N. Pryanishnikov. Having studied the essence of the matter and staged experiments, he concluded: “… Any technique is good in its place. Deep plowing is needed during the wet season, to accumulate moisture, while in dry times, to save moisture, surface tillage is appropriate”. A very accurate definition of the essence - if you do not know that unplowed soil also accumulates moisture well.
In 1909, the Department of Agronomy at Kiev University for some reason attacked Ovsinsky with indiscriminate criticism, declaring his book to be complete confusion and nonsense. Having put forward a lot of theoretical objections, opponents of Ovsinsky argued that his results were the result of exclusively the previous deep plowing of his fields. The argument, as you will see, is ridiculous, but since then Ovsinsky's teachings have been devalued and forgotten. And only half a century later, thanks to the works of T. S. Maltsev, the experiments of southern Ukraine were rechecked and found that the Ovsinsky system in them, in fact, was not observed. T. S. Maltsev, and after him A. I. Baraev proved the effectiveness of the moldboard-free system and introduced it into the practice of many regions of the USSR.
“I am just happy that now you can get acquainted with the experience of Ivan Evgenievich. A copy of his book was kindly provided by Yu. I. Slashchinin. The illustrations were taken from the “Encyclopedia of Russian Agriculture” (St. Petersburg, Devrien, 1900), as well as inimitable and accurate drawings by Andrey Andreev from “Smart Garden”.
Treating Ovsinsky with special trepidation, I almost did not shorten his text - it became shorter by only a quarter. I would like to draw your attention to the first chapter. It may seem unrelated to farming. But I assure you: it is the essence of intelligent crop production. Do not be confused by the "outdated" reasoning of Ovsinsky: let's take into account that they are more effective in practice than many provisions of modern science. " (From the book by N. I. Kurdyumov "NEW FARMING OF OVSINSKY")
The study of natural farming did not stop there. Not to say that all these years it was popular, it always had supporters and enemies, but research went on, and again, and again proved that respect for the soil gives really significant results. As a result, today the meaning of organic farming can be expressed as follows:
- preservation and support of natural soil fertility, - preservation of the ecosystem, - obtaining environmentally friendly products,
- investment of significantly lower costs for harvesting.
- Basic methods of organic farming
Based on the above, the principles of natural farming become clear:
- refusal from deep tillage, - rejection of mineral fertilizers, - refusal to use pesticides, - promoting the development of microorganisms and worms.
Refusal from deep tillage
Refusal from deep tillage is based on the knowledge that it lives in its upper layer.
a huge number of living organisms, the vital activity of which contributes not only to the formation of humus, but also to the improvement of its structure. Plowing and deep digging violate the conditions of their habitat, as a result of which the microbiological composition of the arable layer changes, and with it the ability to naturally maintain soil fertility, the risk of weathering and leaching of elements important for plants increases. The negative impact of this agricultural practice does not appear immediately, but after several years, as a result of which it becomes necessary to use mineral fertilizers and other chemical agents to maintain yields at the proper level.
In accordance with natural farming, the soil does not need to be dug, but if necessary, loosened to a depth of no more than 5 - 7 cm (ideally 2.5 cm).
Refusal from mineral fertilizers
The rejection of mineral fertilizers is based on the knowledge that almost all fats (substances mixed into the soil to replenish the missing nutrients in it) have a latent aftereffect. Under their influence, acidity gradually changes in soils, the natural cycle of substances is disrupted, the species composition of soil-living organisms changes, and the structure of the soil is destroyed. In addition, certain mineral fertilizers have a negative impact on the environment (air, water), on the plants themselves and, as a result, on the quality of products and human health.
In organic farming, instead of fats, the use of green manure, mulching, composts and other organic matter is practiced.
Refusal to use pesticides
Refusal to use pesticides can be explained simply: there are no herbicides, insecticides, fungicides are not poisonous. All of them are included in the group of substances toxic to humans (for this
reason and there are strict rules for working with pesticides) and tend to accumulate in
soil in the form of residual products. So, for example, it is calculated that the percentage of crop losses as a result of the application of a number of herbicides for the main crop, in subsequent crops in
crop rotation can be up to 25%.
Nature-like agriculture in the fight against diseases and pests recommends the use of preventive measures, if the problem could not be prevented - folk remedies or biological products.
Promoting the development of microorganisms and worms
The promotion of the development of microorganisms and worms in organic farming is based on the fact that these soil inhabitants are direct participants in their formation.
Thanks to soil microorganisms and more inhabitants (worms, beetles, spiders)
mineralization of organic residues occurs, the transformation of important biogenic elements, the fight against pathogenic microorganisms, insect pests, the improvement of the soil structure and much more, which as a result characterizes it as healthy. Healthy soil is the basis for the growth of healthy plants that are able to withstand unfavorable climatic manifestations, and diseases and pests.
To implement this principle, natural agriculture recommends the use of organic matter, EM-preparations to increase the fertility of the earth, and the refusal of deep digging.