In agriculture, as in any discipline, following a method is essential to achieve the best results. This is even more true in viticulture, where it is essential to develop one of the most important skills: adaptability.

But the central question is: What is the best method?

My quest for natural farming.

For years I wondered about this issue. My goal was clear: to grow my plants as naturally as possible. This quest prompted me to explore different forms of unconventional agriculture.

The encounters that shaped my vision.

My first great love was undoubtedly the biodynamic method, which I applied for over ten years. The results were very interesting, but over time I realized that to improve further I had to open myself to other perspectives.

The discovery of Mokichi Okada ‘s method and, later,Masanobu Fukuoka’s natural farming was crucial. The principles of these techniques were not only agricultural, but also a philosophy of life. They maximized biodiversity and resilience, values that I felt deeply akin to my own approach. Later, I was introduced to permaculture, which opened up new possibilities. This discipline then led me to discoversyntropic agriculture, based on imitating natural ecological processes, such as ecological succession and cooperation among species.

The challenge: to apply these principles to viticulture.

The real crux of the matter was this:
How to translate the principles of these unconventional agricultural forms into the world of viticulture?
And, more generally, what aspects of these disciplines could help me achieve my goal?

My goal was clear: to grow my plants as naturally as possible by taking a holistic approach. This meant managing soil, plants, animals and climate in an integrated way.

The characteristics of an effective method.

To be effective, an agricultural method must meet some basic conditions:

1. Definition and perseverance, “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day after day.”
   – Robert Collier
2. Order and structure, “To get to the dawn there is no other way but the night.”
   – Kahlil Gibran
3. Adaptation to local reality, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
   – Theodore Roosevelt
4. Creativity and respect for traditions, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
   – Albert Einstein; “Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.”
   – Erich Fromm

My reflection on natural farming.

While I wanted to take as natural an approach as possible, I also knew that there can be no such thing as strictly natural agriculture. I then asked myself:what should a perfectly natural agriculture look like?

This is where my idea came from: to define the cornerstone principles of a sustainable and natural agricultural method and to understand how close a farming method comes to these cornerstone principles.

We will explore these basic points of my approach in future installments of this blog.