Ask anything about natural farming.
We’ll look through Master Cho’s books, every Office Hours episode since 2021, the University of Hawaiʻi papers and the community’s answers — and tell you which is which.
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Where the answers come from
Almost every answer here traces back to one teacher. Everything else carries his teaching forward or tests it.
Master Cho, in his own words
Cho Han-Kyu invented Korean Natural Farming and taught it for decades. We kept everything we could: what he wrote, and what he said in the room.
His books
Janong Natural Farming, the theory and recipe books, and his textbooks on fruit trees, plants and livestock.
Members borrowHis lectures
Seminars in Korea and Hawaiʻi, including the 2016 Hilo seminar, filmed on four cameras.
Coming to membersAdvanced classes
Multi-day courses on fruit trees, the nutrient cycle, poultry and swine. Kohala 2017 is open now: every Korean line translated and checked.
Read free · members watchField trips
Cho walking real farms in Hawaiʻi and Korea, saying what he saw and what to do about it.
Coming to membersThe videos
The 2010 seminar DVD series and our trips to Korea. Hundreds of hours in all.
Coming to membersEvery recording is transcribed. The videos open to members as the Master Cho Archive.
His teaching, applied to farms today
Dr. Drake teaches what Cho taught, on tropical farms, with what you can buy now.
Office Hours
Farmers’ questions answered on video. Every word is searchable, down to the minute.
Free MonthlyHilo meetings
In person, second Tuesday. Recorded and posted.
Free Level 1The foundation course
The inputs in order, and why each one works. The first step to certification.
CertificationUniversity of Hawaiʻi papers
Extension papers from 2013–14, many written with the farmers who made the inputs, plus lab studies of the microbes.
- Good for
- Step-by-step recipes with photos, and what was measured.
- Watch for
- One input or one trial per paper.
Farmers answering farmers
Questions and answers from people doing this on their own land.
- Good for
- “Has anyone seen this?” Mold, smells, pests, batches gone wrong.
- Watch for
- One farm’s experience. Check it against Cho. Look for the certification badge.
Two symposia, every word on the record
Hilo 2015: Hawaiʻi's farmers, teachers and beekeepers made the solutions by hand on the lawn, then compared notes on panels. Konkuk 2016: Master Cho's students from ten countries showed their field trials, translated line by line. Every talk is checked and boiled down to what was shown and what happened.
- Good for
- Recipes made in front of you, side-by-side numbers, and what worked on real farms.
- Watch for
- One season, small plots, farmers' stories. Each page says how far to trust it.
When they disagree
- Recipes, ratios, timing — Master Cho wins.
- What was measured — the papers win.
- What works on your land — your own trial, written down.
“From the KNF library” answers
Some questions carry an answer drafted by Claude from Office Hours and the books. Every claim links to the minute or page it came from. It never outranks a person’s answer. Follow the links.
Youngsang Cho's Ultra Low Cost Agriculture (taught open source as MADAJ) is a different system with different recipes. Don’t mix their ratios with these.
Three ways to ask
Start with the fastest. Move down the list if it doesn’t answer you.
Search
Type it in the box at the top. You get written answers, the minute it came up on Office Hours, and any book or paper on it. Free.
Post a question
Members post a question. Other members answer, and many get a library answer with sources.
Become a memberBring it to a meeting
The Hilo meeting, 2nd Tuesday. Bring the jar. Someone in the room has made it.
See meetings