Dr. Myles Allen and his research team with their recent GWP* metric point out how short lived GHGs have to be accounted for differently than long lived GHGs.. Everyone can grow a bit of lettuce or chard, some leeks and some French beans in a small garden, or even most of these on a balcony! Journal of Animal Science. I graduated from Vanderbilt University with degrees in Political Science, Economics and Spanish, and I currently study law in Texas. With topsoils disappearing and temperatures rising, about 2/3 of the world is desertifying. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Their technical expertise should be enough to convince us that their message is not only correct but worth listening to. 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. The rest of our topsoils are projected to be lost within 60 years. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The film uses creative graphics and visuals, along with striking NASA and NOAA footage, and illustrates how, by drawing down atmospheric carbon many of humankinds most pressing climate and environmental problems can be solved. A revolutionary group of activists, scientists, farmers, and politicians band together in a global movement of "Regenerative Agriculture" that could balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies, and feed the world. The movie is preaching to the choir here, which I think is why I found it disappointing that the filmmakers felt the need to wrap perfectly good explanations of the mechanisms of carbon sequestration and climate change in more evocative but nebulous language like "heal the planet" or "save the soil. The evidence in favor of regenerative agriculture is irrefutable. For a great deal of land, there are other, more evidence-based ways to sequester carbon. Sounds pretty ambitious to champion this form of animal agriculture as a climate solution without strong empirical evidence? 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. 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. Gabe: An increased awareness as to how and why all society should come together to work on the 80% of the things we can agree on such as loss of biodiversity, water quality and quantity issues, poor farm profitability, the decline of rural America, climate change and human health. No, Zelenskyy Did Not Say US Will Have To Send Their Young To Fight For Kiss the Ground Film | Official Website Sure, its easy to see with our own eyes that there is more life on land that is managed in a regenerative way, but in order to really know that it is a climate solution, we would need evidence that carbon levels in the soil are not only increasing but increasing by more than the emissions emitted by the animals involved in the system. Consumers need to do their part by supporting pastured proteins. Fund charities that are helping people to compost their poo in toilets in the third world. This seems like pretty important information that was left off the table. The farmers are now starving or have moved on as the soils wont grow anything anymore, they have become dirt. Heres what he said: From the beginning stages of pre-production for the movie, Ray and Gabe were proposed because of their profound passion and dedication to soil health and their amazing ability to share it with others. 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. Archuleta describes the soil conservation problem as an education problem. I live in a rural area and have seen first hand the difference in soils farmed using modern, industrial methods and smaller fields farmed in a more traditional way. Unless we save our soils, we have 60 harvests left! 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. 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. Did you have any reservations about appearing in it? #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. Great news! The animals themselves arent the problem, where and how is the issue. Desertification is the process of land turning to desert. Kiss the Ground (2020) - IMDb Hopefully, this movie will help open many more. Modern agriculture was not designed for the betterment of the soil, instead for the short term maximisation of yield. Hopefully enough of them will see this movie and find enough alternatives to be able to make some real change. Please read our Comment policy before commenting. Factory farms are good at one thing producing a lot of meat in a short period of time to feed a growing appetite for meat. Its within this context, that it becomes so vividly apparent, that in this conversation we are not just talking about planetary health, but at its core, human health. By 2014 there was no vegetation left across an area the size of Belgium! Its not the most interesting topic of conversation for most, so try just mentioning a one or two of the following points and see if that gets a conversation going. Monocropping further exacerbates the issue, as the same crop is grown year on year, for miles in the case of US farms, microbial diversity cannot increase. Gabe: Yes, I am very optimistic about our future if regenerative practices are widely adopted. This is the central statement of Kiss the Ground, an eco-educational Netflix documentary directed and produced by Josh and Rebecca Tickell.On-the-ground agricultural practices carried out by millions of individual farmers directly affect the health of the soil, and by extension, global atmospheric carbon levels and the pace of climate change. Early farming was small scale, so diversity was ensured, and combined the animals with plants, so the manures could be used as fertiliser, and crops grown on the land could feed the livestock. 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. Our mission is to awaken people to the possibilities of regeneration and inspire participation in this movement through media, communications, education, workshops, immersive programming, and advocacy. (Though theyre still good ideas.). Kiss the Ground: Documentary Review - United Church of Christ View and change your settings here, Regenerative Farm Map Regeneration International, Donate Regeneration International | Organic Consumers (netdonor.net), Compost Toilets in Africa: Human Feces as Fertilizer | Thrive4Good (thriveforgood.org). No topsoils; no food! It only takes a quick read of theDrawdown Reportto realize that this is absolutely unfounded its going to take an enormous amount of solutions to radically transform our energy and food systems to reverse climate change, and holistic grazing, while certainly better than intensive farming, is not the miracle carbon-sequestering practice that those watching are led to believe. As someone who has farmed using diesel tractors and bare hands, I can tell you that regenerative agriculture isn't a key or secret or the single solution to a greener future. This sounds like something else that he would likely regret in the near future. For teachers, educators, schools, community organizers and home schoolersthanks to a generous grant from the Bia Echo Foundation and Triptyk, there is a free 45-minute-long Educational Version of the Kiss the Ground movie and also a free DVD with both the 85 minute long feature and the educational cut on one disk. https://blog.whiteoakpastures.com/hubfs/WOP-LCA-Quantis-2019.pdf. It would be great to see what was meant to be there! Weaker soils need more chemicals. Tilling and chemical agricultural methods have disrupted this cycle and increased the rate of carbon release. Id be willing to donate it to them. All whilst minimising our 'footprint'. So really, the idea of conservation and restoration, needed to be absolutely front and center ifKiss the Groundtruly wanted to educate the masses about how agriculture can help tackle climate change. Its the same reason we dont call doctors healers anymoretheir body of knowledge has been formalized, their work recognized and legitimized as a profession, and their value become obvious. Dont get me wrong. In March and April, he says, farmers are tilling. This gets the nutrients back into local farmlands, and helps reduce the impacts of droughts and the need for fertilisers, which are polluting your local rivers. 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. Ultimately, a covered planet is a healthy planet Earth needs to be covered in plants. Kiss the Ground gave the microphone to Ranchers Alan Savory and Gabe Brown, but we didn't hear about any legitimate science testing out whether the claims they were making truly hold up? Using livestock is thought to make this process 7 times faster! This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Kiss the Ground reveals that, by regenerating the world's soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilize Earth's climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies. To me, it undermines the articulate, informative explanations offered by the professionals with actual working farms and advanced degrees who are given the floor for much of the film. The animal point here is controversial I know. Neither does the author. "We should be thriving, the planet booming with life and abundance and the healthiest generation walking the earth. Get our weekly editors newsletter & special offers delivered right to your inbox! One thing with ruminant livestock is that when they are use as solar powered mobile composters in brittle environments, their manure, urine and saliva act as inoculates that increase soil microbiology. The central tenant is that its a diet that places enormous emphasis on calories from plants and de-emphasizes calories from animal products. Consumers falsely see meat as part of the solution, and although they may do their best to seek out regenerative meat (About Kiss The Ground - Kiss the Ground One of the first characters introduced in Kiss the Ground is Ray Archuleta, a conservation agronomist. All chemical soils are almost devoid of microorganisms, so the plant roots cannot get the nutrients they need. The good news is that soils can recover fast if they are allowed to and managed correctly. After all, this method of grazing, which Gabe Brown and Alan Savory speak about at length, is being positioned in the documentary as the solution we have all been waiting for to reverse climate change. Enterprise, AL 36330. Thank you for this article! In fact, based upon the outcome of that decision, Savory greatly modified his opinion as to what science can and cannot do when it comes to solutions of complex problems. So the white papers cited dont even really know what HPG/AMP is or how it works. 1 Claims that holistic grazing can reverse climate change. So its incredibly facile. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Put simply, there are no healthy humans without a healthy planet. The basic premise of Kiss the Ground is that the destruction of soil is contributing to the severity and intensity of climate change. Emerging land use practices rapidly increase soil organic matter. Still, its hard to ignore that the filmmakers featured almost exclusively rich, white American celebrities in a film about global systems change released in the middle of a national reckoning about our ability to be a diverse and equitable society. Today, our platform reaches millions through immersive media and education initiatives. This means that compared to factory farms, or traditional grazing where cows are overgrazing and destroying the soil, a regenerative farm using holistic grazing would require a lot more land for any given number of roaming cows. Industrial agriculture (left) causes desertification through tilling and synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. can scoop up and heroically rescue. Carrie Richards is not giving up. Whats very interesting is the ability of grazing animals to regenerate grasslands from desert, and reduce desertification. Our mission stands strong: to awaken people to the possibilities of regeneration and inspire participation in the regenerative movement. 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. In COP21 in Paris, 2015. 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. The bonus being that plant-rich dietary patterns just so happen to also be whatmajor health institutionsand progressive Government departments likeHealth Canadaare advocating for to tackle rising rates of obesity and chronic disease, and improve quality of life. This dirt then cannot store water, and heats up massively under the sun with no protection, baking the soils and exacerbating the problem. This is a huge problem. If youve tried and failed before youre definitely in the right place change is hard, but doable with the right process and support! There is a large focus on America, but the issues here in the UK (and the rest of the world) are similar, so it is applicable to all. shabu shabu groupon. Everything in natural systems is a cycle and aimed at maintaining balance. 2021 Plant Based News is a UK-based digital media outlet publishing content about veganism and plant-based living, including news and current events, health, personal transformation stories, features, and recipes. Jeff Creque, Rangeland Director, Carbon Cycle Institute. Regenerative agriculture combines 4 practices. Watching attentively, a classroom full of farmers. From rehabilitating entire ecosystems to growing home victory gardens, there are plenty of ways to get involved in regenerative agriculture. These carbon rich sugars are used by microorganisms in the soil and (in return for providing minerals and other soil nutrients to the plant roots) secrete a carbon rich glue to hold effectively build their mini environments under the surface. The first clue is when the documentary makes mention of the natural history of Bison roaming the United States. We are made of carbon (16%) and its the element that life is based upon! There are a number of others as well as many more in the pipeline. Biodiverse cover crops to feed the soil biology and protect the soils. Less meat to go around and significantly higher prices per unit. These cookies do not store any personal information. Xu, S. (2016). Check out their simple yet profound Soil Story: Do you or your families and friends have a special watch party planned when it streams onNetflix? Impactfull April 2022, What Does Voluntourism Look Like? Savorys claims dont stand up when you put them under the microscope. But as crops grow month by month, drawing down atmospheric carbon, the red is gradually replaced by greens and then by blues, until the map is recognizable once again as the pale blue dot we call home. They are told that the chemicals will make things better by the companies selling these chemicals, and not helped to learn how to work with nature, rather than against it. 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.