Its not too long, but youll learn a lot from it. Biodiverse cover crops to feed the soil biology and protect the soils. They thought I had lost my mind, but through hard work and perseverance weve been able to open many eyes through the years. If not, heres what you can do to join the regenerative farming movement, or at least help make things better . Essentially, Hawken and his team have created a long list of approximately 100 solutions, which when implemented together, would be capable of drawing down more carbon than we are emitting by 2050. The long term prognosis for our survival with business as usual is very, very poor , Topsoils are disappearing and the land is desertifying, Regenerative farming principles explained, Examples of regenerative farming restoring land. Thanks for a well-referenced and easily readable article this seems like a great resource to send to people. One of my favorite elements of the documentary is the perspective that Earth has always been managing and sequestering carbon we just need to mimic that. The first clue is when the documentary makes mention of the natural history of Bison roaming the United States. The movie funders wanted to make this movie all about organic farming, but Gabe and I worked on him and showed him that organic farming can be as destructive as conventional farmingand to his credit, Josh learned what regenerative farming was all about. Ryland is also the producer of The Kiss the Ground documentary and the co-creator of the However, there is a slight problem with the way they presented the information from the Drawdown report. are needed to help heal the earth. Your email address will not be published. Its especially interesting to me as I am working towards a biology degree and hope to become a soil scientist. Scientists and researchers in the documentary back them up. By 2050, it is estimated that 1bn people will be refugees of soil desertification. Farming like nature has also been shown to reduce inputs (costs) and improve yields. I just heard of the movie and wanted to find out a little more about it until I get time to watch it. The documentary tiptoed around this, failing to make it explicitly clear that the food on our plate has to change, while seemingly wanting us to believe that holistic grazing on its own can reverse climate change. Many of the pesticides and fertilisers have been derived from poison gases used in warfare (chemical warfare and poison used in gas chambers). Please read our Comment policy before commenting. The short clip featured Zelenskyy speaking and the audio was that of a translator. https://blog.whiteoakpastures.com/hubfs/WOP-LCA-Quantis-2019.pdf. HaHa! Its sad, really, seeing gray, dead soil devoid of life. Rich soil, with plenty of microbes, allows healthy plants to grow. Their mob grazing action and the impact of their hooves is important. Get our weekly editors newsletter & special offers delivered right to your inbox! This carbon is then absorbed by plants, which use it in their cells and leak into the soils in the form of sugars. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Eat quality (organic, pasture raised meat, or, even better, that from regenerative farms) meat as a treat not a staple. Focussing on this review was a clever move by Kiss the Ground Paul Hawken and the Project Drawdown are incredibly well respected. So the white papers cited dont even really know what HPG/AMP is or how it works. Watching attentively, a classroom full of farmers. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Sustainability, 7(10), 13500. http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/7/10/13500, Teague, W. R., Dowhower, S. L., Baker, S. A., Haile, N., DeLaune, P. B., & Conover, D. M. (2011). BOOM found that the viral video has been cropped from a longer conversation during a press conference where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned a hypothetical scenario of Ukraine losing the war and Russia invading other NATO countries including the Baltic states in Eastern Europe which would force the US to get involved and send troops. So sadly neither does the author of this review. what happens if you get a violation on interlock. . From rehabilitating entire ecosystems to growing home victory gardens, there are plenty of ways to get involved in regenerative agriculture. Gabe: I agreed to become involved because when Josh explained to me that the purpose of the documentary was to highlight how farming organically could improve our planet, I knew I needed to help bring his understanding of soil health and ecosystem function to a higher level. Whilst maintaining a large veg bed to feed the whole family takes up a lot of space and requires time, there are many crops that require very little maintenance or space, and actually like growing in your flower beds amongst the flowers! Instagram @maggie.eileen.art). If we restore all the degraded land, we can return the earth to paradise, making room for biodiversity and feeding the worlds population (with lowered animal protein consumption). At Novel Hand, Im specifically interested in learning about topics related to justice and poverty, and how to create equitable, sustainable impact. As a side note, the documentary routinely employed uses numerous fear-mongering tactics to scare the viewer into grasping for whatever solution comes next. Bare ground is hotter in the day, and cooler at night; threatening the microorganism populations within, and increases water evaporation, as the ground temperatures rise, the soils become dryer, again, impairing the ecosystem the microorganisms exist within. If youve heard anything about Tom Bradys lifestyle, you know that its extreme. Because whereKiss the Groundlacks in science, it makes up in celebrity power with the likes of Woody Harrelson, Jason Mraz, Ian Somerhalder, Gisele Bndchen, and Tom Brady all featured. You can make change and make a difference, even if you have struggled in the past to make change and feel like a failure. Ground News rates Kiss the Ground Film's media bias as unknown. Every version got better, and the last version was the best one. Regenerated healthy soil greatly increases the carrying capacity of land, so the amount of land needed for regen grazing isnt an issue. What do you hope will be an outcome from the movie? In March and April, he says, farmers are tilling. It was very much positioned as absolutely crucial to confronting this climate emergency we find ourselves in. Rising animal production and consumption, whatever the farming system and animal type, is causing damaging greenhouse gas release and contributing to changes in land use. Our modern farming methods are not concerned with soil longevity or quality and are significantly to blame for the destruction of the soils. In other words, his claims cannot be supported by data, replicated by others and he doesnt believe in science. Impacts of soil carbon sequestration on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Midwestern USA beef finishing systems. In many ways, this stands to do more harm than good. 1 Claims that holistic grazing can reverse climate change. Grazing livestock are net contributors to the climate problem, as are all livestock. Those sharing the video said that Zelenskyy sought young Americans to help fight on the ground war. Tilling loosens the soil, disturbing microorganisms that live within it, drying it out so. Firstly, just so we are clear, the majority of the worlds mono-crops are fed to livestock. While I was attending the COP21 conference in Paris in 2015, I was again contacted by Josh Tickell and participated in a follow-up interview regarding the 4per1000 Initiative. Its the misbalance of carbon that is the issue. Byck, P. (2016). While the efforts of Archuleta and others are slowly gaining traction, crop subsidies fuel a system that depletes the soil and leaves farmers dependent on the government for aid. Since chemical agriculture ramped up in the 70s, we have lost 1/3 of the worlds topsoil. In the 1930s the Dust Bowl was created. But its the reality we face. If we pull the pin on that, it means one thing and one thing only. By partnering with Kiss the Ground, youre making a difference in the world and demonstrating that you are committed to supporting a regenerative future. You can see all of thisherefor yourself. This process of soil destruction is detrimental to agriculture. I would simply build on the work of Michael Pollan, a well-known science writer: Where possible eat regenerative food, not too much, mostly plants.. This idea reminded me of what I learned from Cradle to Cradle. We recently caught up with @mcgrathfamilyfarm. Specifically, regenerative agriculture is a holistic land management practice that . Which would net off the existing emissions we make, at least stabilising things. Cited as the worst man made environmental disaster in history, by the end of 1934 about 200 million acres of croplands had been permanently damaged. Just consider the thousands of peer reviewed papers advocating this diet or that diet and the people in the US are still among the most malnourished in the developed world. Kiss the Ground features successful composting programs in San Francisco, Detroit, and Haiti. If youve seen The People vs. Larry Flynt in all of its obscenity, like I did in Constitutional Law last semester, youll be a little surprised to hear the voice of actor Woody Harrelson narrating a documentary about social and environmental issues. Kris: Im always excited by the opportunities to discuss Regenerative Agriculture. This is a great way to help poor communities to reduce their disease from poor sanitation AND grow their own foods to lift them out of starvation and malnutrition! We need to act. I thought it would be just another news release or another interview. Kiss the Groundgave the microphone to Ranchers Alan Savory and Gabe Brown, but we didnt hear about any legitimate science testing out whether the claims they were making truly hold up? Scientists work hard to do science, yet despite thousand of papers produced by human nutrition scientists, the diet health of US occupants is at its worst level ever. We need to talk about agriculture in a way thats meaningful to people with boots on the ground and enumerate specific steps that lead to material change. Post war, these have been rebranded as farm chemicals. Either way, shifting the typical diet in such a way is a certain win for humanity and all life on Earth, and thus something that not only should have been made clearer in Kiss the ground, but something that everyone reading should strongly consider. I dont know a single holistic management practitioner that advocates cutting down forests to grow more cattle. (Source: Kiss the Ground). Whats glaringly clear from Hawkens report is that when it comes to our food and greenhouse gas emissions, thetwo areas we can make the biggest impactare reducing food waste (number one solution)and moving to a plant-rich diet (number three solution). If you have found your way to this article, I can only assume that we have something in common: both of us want to see a better world where humans and all life on earth is thriving. This website uses third party cookies to improve your experience with your consent. This isnt the only literature review that has found a lack of science to support Savorys claims about holistic grazing with another detailedreviewof the literature out of Sweden by Maria Nordborg, coming to the same conclusion. Share this article or talk about the importance of soils to your friends. Science experts and celebrity activists unpack the ways in which the earth's soil may be the key to combating climate change and preserving the planet. Thank you for the review. Overlaying it, a swirling heat map of global atmospheric carbon, changing from dark red to cool blue over the course of a year. The central tenant is that its a diet that places enormous emphasis on calories from plants and de-emphasizes calories from animal products. So cows can actually be used to reverse desertification. Local water cycles produce 40% of our rainfall. Given soil grows 95 per cent of our food, and sustains human life, this is a huge problem. This is a huge problem. Agricultural Systems, 162, 249-258. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2018.02.003, Teague, W. R., Apfelbaum, S., Lal, R., Kreuter, U. P., Rowntree, J., Davies, C. A., . Personally, I thought this was one of the better Netflix documentaries, mainly because, whilst theres a lot of negatives about where the world is heading, the overall message is one of hope. And Norborgs paper rehashed papers by Briske and Holechek that looked at short duration rotational grazing systems rather than holistically planned grazing systems [HPG] known in the peer reviewed scientific literature as adaptive multi-paddock or AMP managed grazing systems. If we adopt regenerative farming practices, we can reverse carbon release into the atmosphere and stabilise the climate, and it wont take long! But I wish people with platforms like documentary films or acting stardom would start framing issues with words that suggest physical work, like "repair" or fix or even "care for/take care of" (i.e. Theyre disconnected form the real world. This movie will also counterbalance the cowspiracy environmentalists and others with incorrect understanding of cows. The filmmakers were able to discuss organic and regenerative agriculture, livestock production and veganism, and climate change in a manner that made no individuals or groups either heroes or villains but rather made the soil the hero which is the appropriate focus in my opinion. Gabe: That each and every person needs to step up and make a differencethat they can make a difference by purchasing from farmers and ranchers who practice regenerative ag. Skip on down to the final thoughts if you dont have time to get more into the facts! Watch the Film OUR COMMUNITY Hotter soils during the day create hot rising air, which pushes any of these clouds away, and is how deserts are formed and grow. 70% of US cropland grows only corn, soy and hay, and this is mainly to feed livestock (99%!). 2020 | Maturity Rating: TV-G | 1h 24m | Nature & Ecology Documentaries. (2015). Practically speaking this looks like the plate below perhaps this could be The Regenerative Plate that Kiss the Ground adopts in their communication going forwards. Science can provide us with some valid assumptions, but it does not provide recipes. I wanted the filmmakers to first understandto let the soil speak and to let nature teach us. The sort of solution you might suspect is at the top of all climate scientists lists. You can reach me at novelhandco@gmail.com or connect with me on LinkedIn. There are three main points I want to make about holistic grazing that are important for you to understand. But crop subsidies from the federal government complicate the economics of agriculture. Heal the planet is a phrase that implies not only the existence of some kind of natural balance to which we can return, but the existence of a cure that human benevolence can deliver. Does the movie miss the mark in any way, or would you have liked to have seen particulartopics covered that were not? Its filled with intelligent people who refuse to shy away from the impending climate cataclysm and have instead dedicated themselves to the daily work of facing itas farmers, educators, scientists, and yes, even as politicians. Copyright 2021 Understanding Ag, LLC | Website by RVT Solutions. Ultimately, if high consuming individuals and countries want to do something positive for the climate, maintaining their current consumption levels but simply switching to grass-fed beef is not a solution. No big deal. Integrating animals grazing the cover crops for their manure and the beneficial effects of their hooves. The Lhos plateau in China, an area larger than Belgium, had become a dusty wasteland after over farming. Data from almost40,000 farms, and 119 countries, clearly shows us that a plant-based diet results in less greenhouse gas emissions, less pollution, less ocean acidification, and uses less water and land land which we can therefore free up and convert to forests to rapidly sequester carbon from our atmosphere. Today, our platform reaches millions through immersive media and education initiatives. Jeff Creque, Rangeland Director, Carbon Cycle Institute. There are sites where this has been done, and what was desert is now lush grassland with grasses growing taller than people. Ive listed these below in short, and then we will go through each together looking at the claims made and where the science lies: (These have also been covered in detail with Environmental Researcher Nicholas Carter (co-author of this article) in episode 104 and 111 on thePlant Proof podcast). Ray: Not at the moment, but if Steven Spielberg calls, I WILL answer. After turning her attention from Accounting and Project Management in London, she's returned to her scientific roots and now spends her time researching eco-options and trying to understand the truth about the eco-issues we're being increasingly presented with. We need to spread the word to drive this important movement forwards! "Kiss the Ground" is based on the fact that modern industrial agriculture is devastating our planet. The NFL quarterback goes to bed earlier than any college student has ever dreamed of, and his diet is impeccably healthy. Also that we can fix this and the fix is quite simple. The first point that I think deserves our attention, before getting into the science on the reversal claim, is the way the producers wanted you to see holistic grazing. Use this compost for your beds rather than buying in compost or fertilisers. If we can only get everyone on board! Nature strives for balance, and has a system for reversing the carbon released into the atmosphere using the growth of plants and their relationship with soil microbes. Its not just about more trees, the carbon that can be stored in healthy, organic material rich soils is much greater. Kris Nichols is such a key person in this film because her discoveries have allowed for this movement to be built on cutting edge science that changes how we think about soil and landscape function., Since its not every day I get a chance to interview real-live movie stars, I shamelessly asked Gabe, Kris and Ray if they would answer some of my Inside Hollywood questions about their movie-making experiences and what impact they believe the new movie may have on the regenerative ag movement moving forward. Your email address will not be published. We should harness the regenerative power of the earth and its processes. Clearly this is something that needs our urgent attention and resolution! But efforts have been made to restore the soils since 1994. That was good enough for me. Using compelling graphics and visuals, along with striking NASA and NOAA footage, the film artfully illustrates how, by drawing down atmospheric carbon, soil is . Heres my critique of that paper: https://lachefnet.wordpress.com/2018/03/25/its-the-soil-biology-stupid/ This paper includes a number of these soil science papers. However, I was slightly apprehensive that the documentary may be too focused on California and Hollywood and not be relevant to farmers and ranchers across the U.S. and the globe. If he is the only one that can achieve the carbon sequestration that he claims, I fail to see how thats a hopeful solution. Links to some of the recent research supporting HM, Teague, W. R. (2018). Put simply, there are no healthy humans without a healthy planet. There is too much in the air now and too little in the earth (released by tilling and soil degradation and burning fossil fuels and plants/trees) causing global temperatures to rise. Look no further than Kiss the Ground, a newly-released Netflix documentary that explores the relationship between climate change and dirt. Ray: Hope. Anecdote and expert opinion or theories are at the bottom of the evidence hierarchy, and its not until we see the findings from higher levels of science, reproduced on scale, that we can begin to have confidence in what we are observing. I enjoyed Woody Harrelson as a narrator; he felt genuine. I do feel bad for the farmers trapped in the cycle though. Two-thirds of the worlds land is currently desertifying leading to millions of climate refugees and further environmental destruction. Theres no sense in wasting a precious resource like attention by skirting the truth that transitioning to regenerative agriculture, or changing any entrenched industrial-economic system, is a lot of work. There are also clear spikes in the CO2 levels in the atmosphere during the ploughing/tilling months with the lowest levels coinciding with maximum plant coverage before harvest. Hi! Check out Kiss the Ground website, where you will find other ways to be involved and even learn how to Become a Soil Advocate! I am alive!. When receiving subsidies for crops like corn and beans, farmers know that they will make a profit. There are no simple solutions to complex problems. For me, its a plant-exclusive diet and for you it might be eating plant-based before dinner often the perfect place for people to start. The problem is, the lay viewer who is not across the science, and blinded by the message of hope, is likely to confuse the role of cows in holistic grazing with instruction that we should continue eating meat at current rates (as long as its grass-fed) and perhaps even double down on our meat consumption. Simple reducing emission does nothing to decrease the greenhouse gases that are already in our atmosphere. The animal point here is controversial I know. #2 - The planet is desertifying (more land is becoming desert), #4 - Our modern farming methods are killing the soils, #5 - Nature has invented the most sophisticated carbon capture method - photosynthesis, #6 - Soils are a huge potential carbon store, #8 - Regenerative farming can reverse climate change, The way we are feeding ourselves is undermining the very ecology were dependent upon. A Feb. 27, 2023, video of U.S. President Joe Biden purportedly shows him announcing a new national draft, in which 20-year-olds would be conscripted into military service on account of a growing . By taking carbon dioxide from the air, and sending it down to soil microbes in exchange for nutrients, plants can not only remove carbon from the atmosphere, but store carbon in the soils. I was in California at a meeting and met Finnian Makepeace, who is the groups co-founder. Kiss the Ground is a new, feature-length movie that explores key soil health and regenerative agricultural principles, and features interviews with a wide range of authors, experts, farmers, researchers and scientists. Get exclusive content in your inbox each Monday. But what good is hope if its false? Something went wrong. By 2014 there was no vegetation left across an area the size of Belgium! A powerful message during a time where the climate emergency is without a doubt causing climate anxiety. Enterprise, AL 36330. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Were trapped on a planet to which we've already done irreparable damage. Doing just one will make a difference!! Is it possible that some of the great empires that seemingly vanished, like the Myans and Incas, did so because they over farmed, and could not feed their rising populations? Yes, whats on our plate is even more important than where its come from or buying local. Over the years, tilling causes the soil to dirt, leaving it vulnerable to erosion and desertification. This seems like pretty important information that was left off the table. And so, with these words, Harrelson immediately draws us into "Kiss the Ground," a documentary focusing on growing our food in a way that builds and protects our precious soil and also draws back into the ground the carbon dioxide that is causing climate change. Our independent team of journalists Any plans to hire an agent or move to L.A? Unless we save our soils, we have 60 harvests left before global starvation. This will not only better their own wellbeing because they will be consuming foods higher in nutrient density, but they will also support those who are making a positive impact on the environment. BookstoreBook submissionsNewsNewsletter signupRecipesGardening, Our storyGet involvedJobs/FellowshipPartnersContact usPrivacy Shipping & return policy. Find farms local to you that are farming in a regenerative way and support them by buying your produce from there. The basic premise of Kiss the Ground is that the destruction of soil is contributing to the severity and intensity of climate change. Kris: We are facing a catastrophic cascade in Earths ecosystems impacting human health and the global economy which fundamentally rests in pressures stemming from changes in the economic and ecological agricultural landscape due to climate change and escalating worldwide competition for natural resources and commodities, including petroleum, natural gas, grains,oilseeds, and proteins. While the film can at times feel like a jumble of connected concepts and issues with an occasional celebrity cameo, the documentary is overall optimistic. The good news is that soils can recover fast if they are allowed to and managed correctly. Starring: Woody Harrelson. As someone who has spent the past 25-plus years working to educate anyone who will listen as to the benefits of regenerative ag, I can say with certainty that the snowball is finally rolling downhill! Minimising the amount of mechanical disturbance, with no tilling/ploughing. Kris: I see the soil as the real star of the movie and have said many times I am honored to be able to speak on behalf of the soil. Copyright EAT THINK EXPLORE 2020 Powered by WordPress Theme Divi Hosted sustainably by Ecohosting, Join my mailing list to receive the latest news, tips and scientific advice to help you move to a more eco-friendly way of eating and get your FREE guide to get you started on your journey today! Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Required fields are marked *. Kris: No, but I am working on creating a virtual party with friends and family as we are scattered throughout the U.S. Ray: I will have a few people over. This is because there is a legacy load of carbon in the atmosphere an amount of carbon dioxide that will persist for decades, if not centuries. Tying the message of Kiss the Ground to voting for policymakers who will systemically change the way the country incentivizes regenerative agriculture and reversing climate change would have been an obvious and easy leap to make. Celebrity activists, including Ian Somerhalder and Patricia Arquette, drop by to promote a suite of carbon-capture climate change solutions theyre personally involved in, from diversified permaculture to compost toilets. Why? Real change requires drawdown: year to year reduction in carbon dioxide levels. And as the documentary states, shifting us from climate warming to climate cooling. Unfortunately, overtly telling people they need to cut down on their meat consumption for this change in agriculture to work isnt going to help with the documentarys popularity. Tilling and chemical agricultural methods have disrupted this cycle and increased the rate of carbon release. The worlds top soils grow over 95% of the foods that feed the world. Our farming systems have moved too far out of alignment with mother nature. Farm work is unglamorous, underappreciated, and not very well-paid for the most part, but it just so happens to be crucial to the survival of our species. Personally, I think its a must watch for people to truly understand the situation we are in with the soils, why its important to save our soils, and how we can help. There is enough evidence to support regenerative agriculture being a more environmentally friendly form of agriculture to how we are currently farming, but on the other side, I am also weary whenever a solution is proposed as a panacea for tackling climate change what is arguably one of the most complex problems that the human race is faced with. This sounds like something else that he would likely regret in the near future. After looking at all of the available evidence on holistic grazing, and claims made by the likes of Savory, the report concludes that grass-fed livestock are not a climate solution. Unfortunately, Savory seems to have led himself to believe that his unscientific approach should be expanded across the world really, tear down more forests to make room for holistic grazing?
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