There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. One can only presume that the slaughtering of the animal is not about soil quality, but about profits. 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. Savorys claims dont stand up when you put them under the microscope. Its a good vibe, like a 90-minute team-taught TED Talkindustrious, sensible, leaning into the future. Focussing on this review was a clever move by Kiss the Ground Paul Hawken and the Project Drawdown are incredibly well respected. Its sad, really, seeing gray, dead soil devoid of life. Use your local food waste recycling system, and if they dont have one, write to your local council to ask for a food waste collection system. 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. 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. The worlds top soils grow over 95% of the foods that feed the world. All farmable soil could be gone in 60 years. Hopefully, this movie will help open many more. Nicholas Carter and Simon Hill (MSc Nutr). Did you have any reservations about appearing in it? Its genuinely remarkable post, I have got much clear idea regarding from this post. 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. I promise not to sell your information, and if you don't like what I send, you can easily unsubscribe at any point. If we want to lower our environmental footprint the single most important thing we can do iseat more plants. 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. The lazy author of this review makes the same mistaken claim. Healthy soils can store more carbon than all the trees and plants combined, so is more important than saving the rainforests or the ocean phytoplankton in reversing climate change! These animals then emit greenhouse gases. As a side note, the documentary routinely employed uses numerous fear-mongering tactics to scare the viewer into grasping for whatever solution comes next. What do you hope will be an outcome from the movie? Many countries signed, including the UK, but not the US, China or India, the biggest agricultural and CO2 producers. After 14 years, it is lush farmland again. So the white papers cited dont even really know what HPG/AMP is or how it works. 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. 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 . Sarah is a Nutrition and Behaviour Change Coach who focuses on helping people to eat in a way that's better for their health AND for the planet. Hi! 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. Kiss the Ground - YouTube Thank you for this article! | Plant Based News Ltd, PO Box 71173, London, SE20 9DQ, United Kingdom. There was also no mention of tropical forest restoration which has significantly greater potential at pulling carbon out of the atmosphere compared to grazing cows on land no matter what practice is employed. Whats very interesting is the ability of grazing animals to regenerate grasslands from desert, and reduce desertification. Kiss the Ground was created in 2013 from a meeting in Venice Beach. If you cant get them into a council waste system, there are a variety of small compost bins you can put in your garden at home. To rotate cows like bison, it means leaving land free from roaming animals for at least six-nine months a figure that Alan Savory states himself in the documentary. And lets not forget, this is the same man who ordered40,000 African elephants to slaughterbecause he incorrectly thought they were damaging the land. Neither does the author. Kiss the Ground Directed by Joshua Tickell, Rebecca Harrell Tickell Documentary 1h 24m Find Tickets When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an. Kris: Yes. 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. Makes sense why the documentary didnt go there! There are three main points I want to make about holistic grazing that are important for you to understand. 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? My hope is that this film will give consumers, farmers, and ranchers all of us the hope, courage and knowledge to choose biologically-based practices and tools to regenerate soil. Fact Check: Did Zelenskyy ask young Americans to go to war against Often, our best solutions arent actually that innovative; they simply mimic natural processes and what the Earth already does. Tilling, the process of pulling up the soil to plant seeds, is destructive to the soil. Less meat to go around and significantly higher prices per unit. Or this breakdown of the many myths he perpetuates inThe International Journal ofBiodiversity. 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I help with that too , Join my supportive community to move to eco-friendly eating and receive tips, advice, recipes and support. I am alive!. All of us make critical decisions every day as we manage our lives and we dont consult the literature when making those decisions. 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. The basic premise of Kiss the Ground is that the destruction of soil is contributing to the severity and intensity of climate change. 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. 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. I am very optimistic. All of these issues and more can be addressed, at least partially, by regenerative ag. https://blog.whiteoakpastures.com/hubfs/WOP-LCA-Quantis-2019.pdf. shabu shabu groupon. Also, I must confess that I did not fully understand the implications of a film crew following me all over the country. Other soil-based carbon capture solutions like composting are crucial to regenerative agriculture. Our independent team of journalists Gabe: HaHa! Plowing the earth, preparing fields for planting, exposing bare soil. 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. But 99 percent of those crops go to feeding livestock. Desertification is the process of land turning to desert. It does include grazing planning and management, but also many other things. kiss the ground fact checking - alfarisqatar.com HaHa! I just heard of the movie and wanted to find out a little more about it until I get time to watch it. Hailing from Newcastle, Australia, she predominantly writes about climate and animal rights issues, alongside her work in psychology. 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. A powerful message during a time where the climate emergency is without a doubt causing climate anxiety. We have now decoupled these so farmers are either crop or livestock, and each are done on an intensive scale, with no natural cycles in place. We knew the film would really embody the spirit of the regenerative agriculture movement if Ray and Gabe were in it., And from the first days that Kiss the Ground the organization started, the work and research of Kris Nichols were fundamental to grasping why rebuilding soil was not only possible but the biggest solution to the climate, water, and food crises. Thank you for the review. 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. Talking about the importance of beingbetter stewards of our land, and why we must do a better job at protecting our natural resources and ecosystems, is absolutely crucial if our species is to not just thrive on Planet Earth, but survive. It was very much positioned as absolutely crucial to confronting this climate emergency we find ourselves in. Above all, its great to see this conversation growing from what has very much been a fringe movement to now entering the mainstream. As long as its grass-fed. Healthy soils can store more carbon than all the trees combined! So the the more microbes, the more necromass and the faster SOM including soil organic matter is built. 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. 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.. Kiss The Ground - YouTube Soil is the solution and we have numerous options and opportunities to actualize this solution as consumers, farmers, ranchers, and environmentalists by focusing on the integration of biological processes. Our farming systems have moved too far out of alignment with mother nature. A plant-rich dietary pattern that places emphasis on regeneration but really could be chopped in a number of ways to suit the individual Mediterranean, paleo, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, etc can all be done in a plant-predominant manner. With topsoils disappearing and temperatures rising, about 2/3 of the world is desertifying. Biodiverse cover crops to feed the soil biology and protect the soils. On one hand, the use of celebrity ambassadors is an unsubtle but effective tactic to draw casual viewers and followers. Directors Joshua Tickell Rebecca Harrell Tickell Writers Johnny O'Hara Joshua Tickell Rebecca Harrell Tickell Stars You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. I asked Finian Makepeace, the co-founder of the Kiss the Ground organization, to tell me more about how he and the films producers and directors selected our trio of regenerative experts to appear in the movie. They correctly state that Bison would pass through land and not be seen for around a year. Eco-friendly eating - better for your health and the planet :). 'Kiss the Ground' Shows How Soil Health Can Save Us From - Treehugger They agreed and heres what they told me, How and why did you become involved the movie, Kiss the Ground?. The documentary carefully positions holistic grazing as the answer to intensive animal agriculture (including the mono-cropping that occurs to feed factory-farmed animals). Unless we save our soils, we have 60 harvests left before global starvation. 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. 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. (Source: Maggie Eileen Lochtenberg, freelance artist and transformational witch. The trouble is, our farmers are not taught this; our growers know nothing about how the soil works or the basic ecological principles. Ray: As they say, He who has the gold makes the rules, so there was a lot of pressure to have Josh, the director, slant this movie towards veganism, messaging cows are bad, eat less meat, carbon footprint, and organic farming will save the world, kind of stuff. Doing just one will make a difference!! Chemical fertilisers mask the problem of degraded soils by providing the basics for plant growth, but also exacerbate the soil microorganism damage. You can see all of thisherefor yourself. 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! Im not saying the filmmakers should have gotten a token Black person, but they couldnt have gone wrong centering the voices of people for whom the stakes of not reversing climate change are much higher than their own. care as a social process). This dirt then cannot store water, and heats up massively under the sun with no protection, baking the soils and exacerbating the problem. 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! . 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. 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. The other 60% are the large sea-driven cycles. The film begins by examining . These are more expensive, so if you can only afford to go organic with some, choose the Dirty dozen so that you get the health benefits of avoiding all the chemicals too The Dirty Dozen organic.org. Over the years, tilling causes the soil to dirt, leaving it vulnerable to erosion and desertification. 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. All whilst minimising our 'footprint'. I started trying to teach about soil health with my little plastic jars and myco-workers at the tech center would often laugh and make fun of me. Its clear to see that levels of CO2 in the atmosphere above the main agricultural areas increase significantly in the main tilling/ploughing months, and then as plant cover increases in the fields, it drops! Despite the documentary not spelling it out, its very clear. This movie will also counterbalance the cowspiracy environmentalists and others with incorrect understanding of cows. 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. Ganretts white paper doesnt even mention soil microbiology. Farming like nature has also been shown to reduce inputs (costs) and improve yields. Weaker soils need more chemicals. Suggestions for viewers to compost and eat a plant-based diet come off as both insignificant and off the mark after the grand scheme of carbon cycling via production agriculture the whole film had been setting up. Take the Inflammation quiz - what's your level? Having gone from being a vegetable hating, stressed out and sick corporate mum who felt constant guilt for not feeding her family properly and not doing enough for the planet to a healthy, veggie loving and eco-minded mother with much less stress, she's been where you are and can definitely help you overcome your barriers! 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. 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. "Kiss the Ground" has a bevy of information to impart, however, and its plucky resistance to politicizing any of it while also acknowledging that so much of this is indeed at the mercy of. In short:- If you act with maturity and consideration for other users, you should For people who have an hour and a half to watch something like this, For people who are time strapped or not sure that this is their kind of thing, The way we are feeding ourselves is undermining the very ecology were dependent upon. I doubt this will require an agent or a move haha! For a great deal of land, there are other, more evidence-based ways to sequester carbon. 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. He also heard about the NRCS soil health effort and my role in encouraging the agency to bring more resources to support the regenerative ag movement. 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. 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. Will you join us? It turned out to be more involved than I imagined. One of the first characters introduced in Kiss the Ground is Ray Archuleta, a conservation agronomist. Nature Communications, 6, 6995. doi:10.1038/ncomms7995 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7995, Wang, T., Teague, W., Park, S., & Bevers, S. (2015). Please read our Comment policy before commenting. ), Pollinator garden/market flowers at Copper Cricket Farm. 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. 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. (Source: Kiss the Ground). So why did a documentary about regenerative agriculture and the power of growing plants not encourage people to grow their own food? Does the movie miss the mark in any way, or would you have liked to have seen particulartopics covered that were not? Ray Archuleta, previously a conservation agronomist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the co-founder of the Soil Health Academy, stands at the front talking to the farmers, and to us. 94 views, 12 likes, 2 loves, 3 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Escuela Esmaca: Mitos y realidades sobre las algas Ms informacin sobre. The message gets across, but the film downplays a meaningful call to action. Find farms local to you that are farming in a regenerative way and support them by buying your produce from there. Kiss the Ground brings together a diverse coalition of scientists, farmers, and advocates to share this story, showcase the benefits of adopting regenerative agriculture, and build a movement aimed at renewing the planet's ecosystems. If we choose healthy foods, there is a reciprocation. All chemical soils are almost devoid of microorganisms, so the plant roots cannot get the nutrients they need. Starring: Woody Harrelson. This is a major oversimplification of our complex and varied farming system. are needed to help heal the earth. Id be willing to donate it to them. A major strategy deployed in the documentary is offering two distinct choices for where consumers should source their food: conventional chemical-filled monocrops, or lush open fields of regenerative agriculture. The French Minister for agriculture proposed a 4 in 1000 plan, to increase the organic content of our soils by 0.4% per year. Kiss the Ground | Successful Farming Awesome! Their mob grazing action and the impact of their hooves is important. have no problems. (Source: Kiss the Ground). Understanding Ag is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Your email address will not be published. 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. Impacts of soil carbon sequestration on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Midwestern USA beef finishing systems. 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). If youve heard anything about Tom Bradys lifestyle, you know that its extreme. 'Kiss the Ground' Review: Celeb-Studded Doc on Fixing - IndieWire