福岡正信與樸門其實有一段淵源，1986年他參加一場在美國華盛頓州奧林匹亞舉行的樸門聚會，在這裡遇見了比爾·莫里森。比爾·莫里森是樸門的創始人，在其著作《樸門概論》（Introduction to Permaculture）中，多次提到福岡正信，對於福岡的理念深表認同。樸門擷取了許多福岡正信的自然農法觀念，例如：旱地直接播種、不耕地的穀物耕作方式（稻麥混種法）、食物森林（多層式植栽）、把蔬菜當野生植物一樣種植、粘土糰子等。除了農業技巧之外，樸門還學到了以自然模式去設計它的實務策略。自然農法的哲學思想提供了樸門一個實質的精神基礎，這是它在早期的教學中所缺乏的。自然農法的理念和樸門似乎相契合，但是在做法上卻又相對立。樸門強調適切的科技運用，以人的智慧去規劃符合自然而且能自給自足的永續生活；福岡則將人的智慧視為助紂為虐的工具，認為它只會讓人與自然漸行漸遠。[8]
香港民間組織「社區夥伴」（Partnerships for Community Development，簡稱PCD）在貴州黎平侗族社區，地方傳統稻種傳播參與式育種。PCD提供的數據顯示，貴州黎平縣香禾糯，一種本地侗族水稻品種，也是當地種植歷史最長、最具特色的稻類品種。種植面積占稻田總面積的比例，從上個世紀50年代的75%大幅下降至2013年的不足5%。PCD先進行了社區研究，了解地社區種植和食用傳統糯稻的情況。PCD發現，對於當地侗族社區而言，香禾糯絕不僅是一個自然植物作物，更與當地少數民族文化、民族身份認同和社區生活有着密切的聯繫。而且，傳統糯稻的種植不僅與一套整全的民族文化、社區生活方式密切聯繫，它的種植方式本身也伴隨着一套整全的和獨特的可持續農業生產模式。[47]
有機農業（organic farming，或稱有機農法）會採用輪作降低病蟲害問題與產量下跌；但自然農法容許單一作物連作，表示產量約在4至5年後恢復。茶樹是自然農法的重要栽培示範，每年透過覆蓋修剪後的茶樹枝葉在表土以維持地力，十多年後仍可維持一定產量。肥料使用是自然農法與有機農法的另一差異，一般有機農業可以施用有機肥料，但是最嚴格的自然農法完全不施肥；台灣在1994年至1996年間引進MOA自然農法時，設立了〈自然農法執行基準（台灣版）〉，允許天然有機肥料使用。在2006年，執行基準再次修訂，修正為推行第三版。因此MOA雖然是國際有機農業聯盟（International Federal of Organic Agriculture Movement，簡稱IFOAM）的會員之一，但是它採取自己的獨特認證形式。MOA發源於日本，在2001年時曾成為「有機JAS」的驗證機構，不過旋即於2004年退出而自行發行認證。[6]
Making the Impossible Possible -- "Miracle Apples" and Natural Cultivation. Japan for Sustainability. 2012-05-22 [2019-10-25]. （原始內容存檔於2019-06-26） （英語）. Apple trees are not native to Japan and are easily infected with fungus and other diseases in its warm, humid climate. In order to raise apples in Japan, varieties have been rapidly and repeatedly improved, resulting in extremely vulnerable trees. It is commonly believed that apples cannot be produced here without using pesticides. The apple produced through natural cultivation is thus very much a "miracle apple" that greatly transcends common assumptions about apple-growing in Japan.
H. Okubo. Kyusei Nature Farming: Historical Perspective, Present Status, and Prospects for Future Development with EM Technology(PDF). Atami, Japan: International Nature Farming Research Cente. [2019-10-20]. （原始內容(PDF)存檔於2021-06-24） （英語）. Kyusei Nature Farming is a method of farming without the use of synthetic chemicals. It is based on the ideals and principles of nature farming that were advocated by Mokichi Okada (1882-1955), a Japanese naturalist and philosopher and founder of Sekai Kyusei Kyo.
Mokichi Okada's History. Sekai Kyusei Kyo IZUNOME. [2019-10-20]. （原始內容存檔於2019-10-20） （英語）. Having received a revelation from God in 1926, Meishu-sama became aware of the existence of God, of the real meaning of life and death and his own mission as the Savior of the world. As a result of this, Meishu-sama founded the Sekai-Kyusei-Kyo on January 1, 1935.
Hui-lian Xu. NATURE FARMING In Japan. 日本: Research Signpost. [2019-10-24]. ISBN 81-308-0119-1. （原始內容存檔於2019-07-17） （英語）. At this moment, Mokichi Okada, an oriental philosopher, warned people with an opinion contrary to others and proposed his philosophy of nature farming with the distinct points as follows: 1) fertilizer poison exists; 2) fertilizers pollute the soil and weaken its power of productivity; 3) pests would outbreak from the excessive use of fertilizers; 4) nutrition favorable for pathogens causes disease susceptibility; and 5) vegetables and fruits produced by nature farming taste better than those by chemical farming.
Shelton, A.C. and Tracy, W.F., 2016. Participatory plant breeding and organic agriculture: A synergistic model for organic variety development in the United States. Elem Sci Anth, 4, p.000143. DOI: http://doi.org/10.12952/journal.elementa.000143
Zero Budget Natural Farming in India(PDF). FAO. 2016 [2019-10-18]. （原始內容存檔(PDF)於2018-07-12） （英語）. Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), which is a set of farming methods, and also a grassroots peasant movement, has spread to various states in India. It has attained wide success in southern India, especially the southern Indian state of Karnataka where it first evolved. A rough estimation for just Karnataka puts the figure there at around 100,000 farmer families1 , while at the national level, ZBNF leaders claim that numbers could run into millions. This has been achieved without any formal movement organization, paid staff or even a bank account. ZBNF inspires a spirit of volunteerism among its peasant farmer members, who are the main protagonists of the movement.
Zero Budget Natural Farming in India. FAO. 2016 [2019-10-20]. （原始內容存檔於2019-03-26） （英語）. The neoliberalization of the Indian economy led to a deep agrarian crisis that is making small scale farming an unviable vocation. Privatized seeds, inputs, and markets are inaccessible and expensive for peasants. Indian farmers increasingly find themselves in a vicious cycle of debt, because of the high production costs, high interest rates for credit, the volatile market prices of crops, the rising costs of fossil fuel based inputs, and private seeds. Debt is a problem for farmers of all sizes in India. Under such conditions, 『zero budget』 farming promises to end a reliance on loans and drastically cut production costs, ending the debt cycle for desperate farmers. The word 『budget』 refers to credit and expenses, thus the phrase 'Zero Budget' means without using any credit, and without spending any money on purchased inputs. 'Natural farming' means farming with Nature and without chemicals.
Neha Barabde. WHAT IS NATURAL FARMING? HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM ORGANIC FARMING?. Ugaoo.com. [2019-10-18]. （原始內容存檔於2019-03-13） （英語）. Key differences between natural farming and organic farming: In organic farming, organic fertilizers and manures like compost, vermicompost, cow dung manure, etc. are used and added to farmlands from external sources. In natural farming, neither chemical nor organic fertilizers are added to the soil. In fact, no external fertilizers are added to soil or give to plants whatsoever.
What is the difference between Natural Farming and Organic farming?. Chatham-Kent Table. 2019-07-22 [2019-10-26]. （原始內容存檔於2019-10-26） （英語）. First, organic farming starts with building healthy soil, manage biological activity within the ground and grow healthy plants. Whereas natural farming does not look to build soil biology but to leave the land alone and let processes happen naturally. Natural agriculture is a set of things not to do and let nature take over; again, it is a mindset not a set of functioning principles. Second, natural farming is about not tilling the soil, no weeding and no pruning of the plant. Comparably, organic agriculture doesn’t function on a set of do not do’s, as some of us, understand. For example, in organic farming, tillage is an essential tool for the farmer; controlling weeds is one of the biggest challenges an organic farmer will face. Not weeding would most likely lead to a terrible crop or a very difficult time harvesting. Thirdly, in the event pruning needs to be carried out on vegetable plants or fruit trees in organic farming this can be done by the farmer, unlike natural farming where it can’t because it is a guiding principle set out by the person who created it that doesn’t happen in nature.
