Yes, theres no doubt ruminant poop can help improve soil quality, butthere are many types of regenerative agriculture that do not involve animalsoranimal manureand others that act as sanctuaries using animals on their land without sending them to slaughter. 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. 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. Integrating animals grazing the cover crops for their manure and the beneficial effects of their hooves. Her main aim is to help people to start making some small (but significant) changes to the way they eat so they can enjoy all the benefits, like more energy, less sickness, reduced risks of future disease and less guilt - because we all need less stress and guilt in our lives! So the the more microbes, the more necromass and the faster SOM including soil organic matter is built. kisstheground. 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). Unfortunately, there are still very few about, especially in the UK. And when it comes to the Savory Institute and Savorys claims Dr Garnett states that they are generally anecdotal, based on surveys and testimonies rather than on-site measurements. A Case Study in a Cambodian Orphanage. Not to mention, I got a chuckle out of Bundchen calling Earth, Big Mama.. By 2050, it is estimated that 1bn people will be refugees of soil desertification. The difference is immense and plain for anyone to see. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 141(34), 310-322. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2011.03.009, Plus a recent LCA funded by General Mills: A Facebook video shows aerial footage of what appears to be large fissures or cracks in the Earth . 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. 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 . It is a strategic use of fame and visibility, and the filmmakers and stars are clearly aware of the cultural impact of their appearances in the film. Those sharing the video said that Zelenskyy sought young Americans to help fight on the ground war. Emerging land use practices rapidly increase soil organic matter. Where I think the documentary falls short is in three critical areas. If we choose healthy foods, there is a reciprocation. Impacts of soil carbon sequestration on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Midwestern USA beef finishing systems. As prices go up, pending one spends the same budget they had previously set aside for meat, their consumption naturally falls. Your email address will not be published. Its not a bad thing per se. Repeatedly using abstractions to sum up complex issues makes people comfortable talking about soil as if there is one entity, soil, that we (who is we, anyway?) Science can provide us with some valid assumptions, but it does not provide recipes. Our current farming methods are simply not sustainable. But 99 percent of those crops go to feeding livestock. 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. Watch the film trailer here and the full movie on Netflix. Sounds pretty ambitious to champion this form of animal agriculture as a climate solution without strong empirical evidence? I dont know a single holistic management practitioner that advocates eating more beef. 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 . The Lhos plateau in China is where settled agriculture first began. Gabe: I would have liked the movie to highlight the importance of grazing animals. This is bio sequestration using plants to capture and store carbon. I do feel bad for the farmers trapped in the cycle though. Take the Inflammation quiz - what's your level? Many would argue soil degradation is the most critical environmental threat to humans". The rest is projected to be lost within 60 years. Before we get into a few major claims made inKiss the Groundthat are directly at odds with scientific knowledge, I want to preface this entry by saying that I wholeheartedly supportregenerative agricultureas a goal and think the documentary did a great job bringing light to the detrimental impact that intensive animal agriculture is having on our planet. Using livestock is thought to make this process 7 times faster! 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). One can only presume that the slaughtering of the animal is not about soil quality, but about profits. 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. 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. Grazing management impacts on vegetation, soil biota and soil chemical, physical and hydrological properties in tall grass prairie. https://asu.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/potential-mitigation-of-midwest-grass-finished-beef-production-em, Machmuller, M. B., Kramer, M. G., Cyle, T. K., Hill, N., Hancock, D., & Thompson, A. Real change requires drawdown: year to year reduction in carbon dioxide levels. I honestly thought it would stand on its own. Healthy soils can store more carbon than all the trees combined! Ultimately, a covered planet is a healthy planet Earth needs to be covered in plants. 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. 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. In COP21 in Paris, 2015. There is one hyperlink in error. We are made of carbon (16%) and its the element that life is based upon! Several scientists featured in Kiss the Ground are clear that simply reducing carbon emission wont be enough to save the planet. With topsoils disappearing and temperatures rising, about 2/3 of the world is desertifying. Weaker soils need more chemicals. One of the . The basic principles are: minimal tilling/ploughing, using cover crops, involving livestock in managed grazing, organic practices avoiding chemicals, composting, crop diversity and using trees and perennials as protection. 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. Use this compost for your beds rather than buying in compost or fertilisers. The long term prognosis for our survival with business as usual is very, very poor . I am very optimistic. Future of Food: Journal on Food, Agriculture & Society, 4(3), 8. poet charles mackay biography Hotter soils during the day create hot rising air, which pushes any of these clouds away, and is how deserts are formed and grow. Ray: I met the Kiss the Ground group in 2015. 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. The review is plain evidence that we see what we believe and the reviewers beliefs greatly clouded their vision. Many countries signed, including the UK, but not the US, China or India, the biggest agricultural and CO2 producers. I wanted the filmmakers to first understandto let the soil speak and to let nature teach us. They also failed to make it clear why ruminants were required. 70% of US cropland grows only corn, soy and hay, and this is mainly to feed livestock (99%!). Its a good vibe, like a 90-minute team-taught TED Talkindustrious, sensible, leaning into the future. Does the movie miss the mark in any way, or would you have liked to have seen particulartopics covered that were not? Heres below are just a handful of recent PEER REVIEWED papers supporting HPG. Every version got better, and the last version was the best one. 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. By 2014 there was no vegetation left across an area the size of Belgium! (PLEASE VOTE November 3rd or earlier!! Nature Communications, 6, 6995. doi:10.1038/ncomms7995 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7995, Wang, T., Teague, W., Park, S., & Bevers, S. (2015). The key points in Kiss the Ground. It's a tool. The basic premise of Kiss the Ground is that the destruction of soil is contributing to the severity and intensity of climate change. 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. I thought it was odd that this was left out. No spam, we promise just our best articles. 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. 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! There is not enough money in the world to get me to move from Gods country, North Dakota! If we adopt regenerative farming practices, we can reverse carbon release into the atmosphere and stabilise the climate, and it wont take long! You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. And as the documentary states, shifting us from climate warming to climate cooling. Kiss the Ground has the perfect documentary mix of celebrity activists and wise elder scientists. This is a huge problem. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Ganrett also doesnt have a clue how tropospheric hydroxyl oxidation works. Gabe: Yes, I am very optimistic about our future if regenerative practices are widely adopted. 209 South Oak Ridge Drive 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. Thank you for the review. Even though we werent farmers, scientists or experts we knew that together, we could still make a difference! Stardom is a complicated thing, but at least all that money and power are being put to good use. 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? Kris: When I was working as the Chief Scientist with the Rodale Institute, I was asked to be interviewed by the Kiss the Ground team who were also interviewing Maria Rodale. This is a review Im very familiar with having read through it front to back a handful of times. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Jeff Creque, Rangeland Director, Carbon Cycle Institute. I graduated from Vanderbilt University with degrees in Political Science, Economics and Spanish, and I currently study law in Texas. So why did a documentary about regenerative agriculture and the power of growing plants not encourage people to grow their own food? 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. Plowing the earth, preparing fields for planting, exposing bare soil. 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. Try: Compost Toilets in Africa: Human Feces as Fertilizer | Thrive4Good (thriveforgood.org) or GiveLove. To achieve this, we have to change the way that we do agriculture, with less synthetic chemicals and GMOs and use the most powerful carbon capture process ever invented photosynthesis. 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. Archuleta describes the soil conservation problem as an education problem. 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. Required fields are marked *. Share this article or talk about the importance of soils to your friends.
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