Here are five things I learned from Kiss the Ground. The solution is right under our feet - THE SOIL. Regenerative Agriculture, What is it? - Kiss the Ground 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. (Though theyre still good ideas.). Regenerative agriculture is an important part of the solution when it comes to climate change. They love their land and lifestyle, they are just trying to survive, while being poisoned themselves by the chemicals they must use to keep their fields producing. They agreed and heres what they told me, How and why did you become involved the movie, Kiss the Ground?. With that said, any time a new study, book, documentary, or other media publication is published, I read or watch with great interest. Another issue with our modern methods is that we plough to remove existing plants, and then plant, or even leave the field bare over winter. 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. 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. As a last comment, it was brought into the discussion that we shouldnt believe Savory because his decision led to the death of thousands of elephants. The fix is simple: Mimic nature, cover the soil andunderstand how soil is intended to function. Instagram @maggie.eileen.art). This dirt then cannot store water, and heats up massively under the sun with no protection, baking the soils and exacerbating the problem. Thank you for this article! This is how the natural carbon cycle should work. 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. poet charles mackay biography 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. We can all make some simple changes for massive benefits to our health and footprint. Jeff Creque, Rangeland Director, Carbon Cycle Institute. Rousing speeches have their place in communicating the gravity of the situation to the public, funders, and policymakers, but its not a framing that suggests concrete action, or even a plan. Specifically, regenerative agriculture is a holistic land management practice that . 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. Kiss the Ground | Soil Health Solutions | Join the Movement! You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Ganrett also doesnt have a clue how tropospheric hydroxyl oxidation works. How 'Kiss the Ground' Directors Avoided Making Soil - TheWrap A group of activists had gathered to see what could be done about Climate Change. Our independent team of journalists So why did a documentary about regenerative agriculture and the power of growing plants not encourage people to grow their own food? Hotter soils during the day create hot rising air, which pushes any of these clouds away, and is how deserts are formed and grow. This is a huge problem. Garnett, Poore and their ilk just do key word searches on computer screens and average parsed pre-existing data in their papers. The sort of solution you might suspect is at the top of all climate scientists lists. Parents need to know that Kiss the Ground is a 2020 documentary that addresses our current soil erosion crisis throughout the planet and the benefits of practicing "regenerative agriculture." Narrated by Woody Harrelson, the documentary features extensive interviews with farmers, scientists, activists, celebrities, and regular people as they help to create awareness of regenerative . Kiss the Ground is a nonprofit on a mission to awaken people to the possibilities of regeneration and inspire participation in this movement by educating and engaging through media, communications . Its predicted that, if we can scale up some of these farming methods over the next 30 years, we can REVERSE global warming. 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. By ), Pollinator garden/market flowers at Copper Cricket Farm. Farmers need to make profits but we need to be transparent here and lay down all solutions on the table to have an open discussion. The movie didn't even include an indictment of current US politics or President Trump, which is notable by its absence considering the film was released so close to election time. Industrial agriculture (left) causes desertification through tilling and synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Half are experts working in their respective fields, and the rest are celebrity activists for whom regenerative agriculture and climate change is more or less a cause. Regenerative agriculture describes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity - resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle. . This movie has given soil a voice to say, I am not dirt! This carbon is then absorbed by plants, which use it in their cells and leak into the soils in the form of sugars. 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). However, given the notable absence of well qualified environmental scientists discussing evidence to support their ambitious claims, in favor of anecdotal experience from ranchers, just how much of the information in this documentary can we trust and reliably use to shape our food system and inform our food choices? I do feel bad for the farmers trapped in the cycle though. As Ian Somerhalder says in the documentary, Cows can be good. While many blame cows for carbon emissions, and rightfully so, they can actually be a part of the solution. 'Kiss the Ground' review: The soil may save us, but it's not that 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. you can help by supporting our work today. Overlaying it, a swirling heat map of global atmospheric carbon, changing from dark red to cool blue over the course of a year. If we want to lower our environmental footprint the single most important thing we can do iseat more plants. The documentary is well-produced and in the eyes of a layperson an extremely compelling case for changing the way we grow food. Biodiverse cover crops to feed the soil biology and protect the soils. I promise not to sell your information, and if you don't like what I send, you can easily unsubscribe at any point. 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 partnering with Kiss the Ground, youre making a difference in the world and demonstrating that you are committed to supporting a regenerative future. Because not only does this mean less greenhouse gas-emitting ruminant animals, but it means we can draw down more carbon from the atmosphere forests are typically far better at doing this than grasslands. Livestock and Land Use: How Are We Feeding The Planet? Sign up for the latest courses, learning resources, news and events. 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. A Case Study in a Cambodian Orphanage. It really feels like he cares. As prices go up, pending one spends the same budget they had previously set aside for meat, their consumption naturally falls. Our farming systems have moved too far out of alignment with mother nature. Ray: I met the Kiss the Ground group in 2015. I doubt this will require an agent or a move haha! Theres also a lot of new recent PEER REVIEWED soil science that demonstrates this. This is a major oversimplification of our complex and varied farming system. Journal of Animal Science. Potential mitigation of midwest grass-finished beef production emissions with soil carbon sequestration in the United States of America. 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. However, this was taken from a United Nations speech, which leading soil scientists say isabsolutely not supported by science. 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. 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.. Tilling, the process of pulling up the soil to plant seeds, is destructive to the soil. . Many of them are based on anecdotal evidence and experience. There was a huge opportunity for the filmmakers to ask open-ended questions and seek new avenues of thought and action, but they went the safe route of trying to be inspiring. 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. Many countries signed, including the UK, but not the US, China or India, the biggest agricultural and CO2 producers. Kris:The time and effort that the team put into the interviews and edits as well as probably debating and refining the perspective the film takes should be commended. Dont get me wrong. Registration confirmation will be emailed to you.