2025 Volume 13 Issue 3 Pages 57-75
Contemporary agriculture faces a crisis of eco-friendliness and sustainability caused by the false dichotomy between organic (OA) and conventional agriculture (CA). While some forms of OA, such as non-certified Japanese natural farming, prioritize ecological balance, others, such as profit-driven certified OA, often harm the environment due to monocultures and excessive organic inputs. On the other hand, modern CA has adopted eco-conscious techniques, such as conservation tillage, integrated nutrient and pest management, as well as precision fertilization and irrigation, but remains stigmatized as inherently unsustainable and not eco-friendly. This review critiques the binary OA-CA approach and proposes permaculture (PC) as a more flexible, context-based alternative for evaluating agricultural eco-friendliness and sustainability. Rooted in the ethics of Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share, permaculture transcends rigid classifications by focusing on context and outcomes, rather than inputs and standards. For instance, Japan’s special cultivation (Tokubetsu Saibai) synergizes CA’s targeted chemical reductions with OA’s biodiversity principles, maintaining yields while minimizing the environmental impact. Additionally, permaculture extends its eco-friendly principles to non-traditional systems, such as urban vertical farms and post-disaster soilless cultivation in Fukushima. Despite their high energy consumption, these systems address localized needs while aligning with permaculture’s core ethics. Ultimately, permaculture offers an outcome-oriented and context-based approach to eco-friendliness, challenging the conventional focus on global standards and encouraging a rethinking of what works best here for both people and the environment.
