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. The NFL quarterback goes to bed earlier than any college student has ever dreamed of, and his diet is impeccably healthy. It carries pleasant stuff. 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. 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. Firstly, just so we are clear, the majority of the worlds mono-crops are fed to livestock. In the past, I did not like how certain environmental groups portrayed farmers. Unfortunately, there are still very few about, especially in the UK. Ray: Hope. The elephant in the room during the documentary is that they completely failed to mention that a significant amount of the land dedicated to animal agriculture across the world (not all but certainly a lot) needs to be restored to forests (the number one driver of deforestation is animal agriculture) to get anywhere close to meeting our climate goals. These animals then emit greenhouse gases. I honestly thought it would stand on its own. Im sure we can all agree that factory farming is a blight on humanity, and there is far too much mono-cropping, but assuming that its either this intensive form of animal agriculture or holistic grazing, is not accurate. That sounds catastrophic. 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. If we want to lower our environmental footprint the single most important thing we can do iseat more plants. How 'Kiss the Ground' Directors Avoided Making Soil - TheWrap Kiss the Ground Shares Steps To Protect The Ground Beneath Us By 2050, it is estimated that 1bn people will be refugees of soil desertification. Many of the pesticides and fertilisers have been derived from poison gases used in warfare (chemical warfare and poison used in gas chambers). Its especially interesting to me as I am working towards a biology degree and hope to become a soil scientist. Biodiverse cover crops to feed the soil biology and protect the soils. Regenerative farming restores soils; storing carbon and reducing the need for chemical help to improve yields by harnessing natural processes. Why not let the viewer know what theworlds leading climate scientists have to say about diet? Our current farming methods are simply not sustainable. 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. 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. One of the first characters introduced in Kiss the Ground is Ray Archuleta, a conservation agronomist. 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. Savorys claims dont stand up when you put them under the microscope. This is how the natural carbon cycle should work. Until recently, however, the roles of soil and grazing animals have been missing pieces of the climate puzzle. Kiss the Ground has the perfect documentary mix of celebrity activists and wise elder scientists. The solution is right under our feet THE SOIL. The solution is right under our feet - THE SOIL. I am alive!. Kiss The Ground - YouTube And this isnt just my own speculation. Five takeaways from new Kiss the Ground documentary - Novel Hand 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. 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. Gabe: I would have liked the movie to highlight the importance of grazing animals. Many would argue soil degradation is the most critical environmental threat to humans". Do you or your families and friends have a special watch party planned when it streams onNetflix? Its not just about more trees, the carbon that can be stored in healthy, organic material rich soils is much greater. Bundchen and Brady point to the health of the soil as directly influencing the health of the plants we eat and our health as well. This movie will also counterbalance the cowspiracy environmentalists and others with incorrect understanding of cows. 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. 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. 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. Get exclusive content in your inbox each Monday. Using perennials and trees as protection for the soils. It would be great to see what was meant to be there! 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? Plus FCRNs paper simply ignored the existing peer reviewed science with its claim that no such science exists. | Plant Based News Ltd, PO Box 71173, London, SE20 9DQ, United Kingdom. and experts are committed to making an impact through a wide range of contentand Check out their simple yet profound Soil Story: 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. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Links to some of the recent research supporting HM, Teague, W. R. (2018). Chemical fertilisers mask the problem of degraded soils by providing the basics for plant growth, but also exacerbate the soil microorganism damage. Science can provide us with some valid assumptions, but it does not provide recipes. They agreed and heres what they told me, How and why did you become involved the movie, Kiss the Ground?. Watch Kiss the Ground | Netflix No topsoils; no food! Looking for a way to kill the quarantine boredom? And lets not forget, this is the same man who ordered40,000 African elephants to slaughterbecause he incorrectly thought they were damaging the land. Grazing management impacts on vegetation, soil biota and soil chemical, physical and hydrological properties in tall grass prairie. 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. The difference is immense and plain for anyone to see. Tilling, the process of pulling up the soil to plant seeds, is destructive to the soil. The basic premise of Kiss the Ground is that the destruction of soil is contributing to the severity and intensity of climate change. berger 215 hybrid 300 win mag. Our mission stands strong: to awaken people to the possibilities of regeneration and inspire participation in the regenerative movement. That was good enough for me. There are many things you can do, all varying in difficulty. Kiss the Ground is a full-length documentary narrated by Woody Harrelson that sheds light on an "new, old approach" to farming called " regenerative agriculture " that has the potential to balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies, and feed the world. . can scoop up and heroically rescue. Kiss the Ground (2020) - IMDb 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. I promise its way easier to mail one ballot than to cut meat out of your diet or petition your city to collect compost! FACT-CHECK. Jemima is the Head of Editorial of Plant Based News. Scientists and researchers in the documentary back them up. A Case Study in a Cambodian Orphanage. This movie has given soil a voice to say, I am not dirt! GHG Mitigation Potential of Different Grazing Strategies in the United States Southern Great Plains. After all, its communities of color, low-income communities, and immigrant communities who do the majority of the essential work of growing food and yet are most exploited and harmed by the agroindustrial complex. Many of them are based on anecdotal evidence and experience. This sounds like something else that he would likely regret in the near future. 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. 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: Those sharing the video said that Zelenskyy sought young Americans to help fight on the ground war. The filmmakers additionally say "Kiss the Ground" has earned the attention of scientists, farmers and activists alike, crossing boundaries in terms of a highly politicized issue and even being . For a great deal of land, there are other, more evidence-based ways to sequester carbon. Op-ed: 'Kiss the Ground' Misses the Complexity of Climate Solutions in 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. The message gets across, but the film downplays a meaningful call to action. As prices go up, pending one spends the same budget they had previously set aside for meat, their consumption naturally falls. I dont know a single holistic management practitioner that advocates cutting down forests to grow more cattle. Theres nothing Netflix and chillabout that. If not, heres what you can do to join the regenerative farming movement, or at least help make things better . The long term prognosis for our survival with business as usual is very, very poor . If we look at where many of the 20 or so great civilisations have been, many are now desert Could this be our future if we carry on down this path? Lots of problems with Poores paper as well which didnt account for soil carbon or regenerative systems in any of its meta-analysis of averaged LCAs. Tilling, the process of pulling up the soil to plant seeds, is destructive to the soil. I was in California at a meeting and met Finnian Makepeace, who is the groups co-founder. I also thoroughly enjoyed Pauls episode onRich Rolls podcastwhere he speaks at length about Project Drawdown. kiss the ground fact checking - alfarisqatar.com Real change requires drawdown: year to year reduction in carbon dioxide levels. Kiss the Ground Film | Official Website Rich soil, with plenty of microbes, allows healthy plants to grow. No spam, we promise just our best articles. For millions of years the world has self-healed and self-balanced. But its the reality we face. Also, I must confess that I did not fully understand the implications of a film crew following me all over the country. So cows can actually be used to reverse desertification. There is extraordinary potential in the layers beneath our feet our Earths soil. Were trapped on a planet to which we've already done irreparable damage. kiss the ground fact checking Josh Tickell, the director of the movie, was associated with Kiss the Ground and was making a film on organic farming when I met him. Many countries signed, including the UK, but not the US, China or India, the biggest agricultural and CO2 producers. Less meat to go around and significantly higher prices per unit. The claim: Video shows cracks in the ground that formed after earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. you can help by supporting our work today. Emerging land use practices rapidly increase soil organic matter. Potential mitigation of midwest grass-finished beef production emissions with soil carbon sequestration in the United States of America. Given soil grows 95 per cent of our food, and sustains human life, this is a huge problem. This idea reminded me of what I learned from Cradle to Cradle. By practicing regenerative agriculture, a no-till, chemical-free system designed to bolster and protect soil health, we can grow healthier plants, sequester more carbon, and ultimately reverse climate change., Narrator Woody Harrelson calls regenerative agriculture a simple solutiona way to heal our planet and asks viewers to save our soil in hopes the soil might just save us., The short version: Growing food with regenerative agriculture leads to healthier soil, better food, cleaner skies, and clearer water. 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. 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. Its the misbalance of carbon that is the issue. As a side note, the documentary routinely employed uses numerous fear-mongering tactics to scare the viewer into grasping for whatever solution comes next. I wanted the filmmakers to first understandto let the soil speak and to let nature teach us. Specifically, regenerative agriculture is a holistic land management practice that . There is not enough money in the world to get me to move from Gods country, North Dakota! I am very optimistic. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. forests are typically far better at doing this than grasslands, when you factor in the land that would be freed up if the entire world shifted to a plant-rich diet, there are many types of regenerative agriculture that do not involve animals, available grasslands would only be able to produce 27 percent of the countries current beef supply. 209 South Oak Ridge Drive 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. Every version got better, and the last version was the best one. Grow your own veg using your home compost! Unfortunately not as much as I had hoped. 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. They also failed to make it clear why ruminants were required. Journal of Animal Science. Kiss the Ground has been active in this space for a while and is a California-based 501(c)(3) environmental non-profit telling a new story about our ability to regenerate land and reverse climate change by building back healthy soil. Kiss the Ground - Understanding Ag Every year 40m people are displaced as their farmlands become desert. Livestock and Land Use: How Are We Feeding The Planet? Given soil grows 95 per cent of our food, and sustains human life, this is a huge problem. Watch the Film OUR COMMUNITY Ganrett also doesnt have a clue how tropospheric hydroxyl oxidation works. Until then, its going to be hard to truly transform our agricultural system to benefit all life on the planet. The lazy author of this review makes the same mistaken claim. 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. Consumers need to do their part by supporting pastured proteins. As the plants struggle to grow following the removal of organic material year on year, and in the absence of their supporting microbial populations, our farmers resort to chemical fertilisers. kisstheground. Compost your food scraps. Carrie's ranch is comprised of 6,500 acres, Thank you to the @apnews for sharing an art. The short clip featured Zelenskyy speaking and the audio was that of a translator. 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. 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. One can only presume that the slaughtering of the animal is not about soil quality, but about profits. Its not too long, but youll learn a lot from it. This review revealed some all to common perceptions about holistic management, a decision making framework, which can be applied to grazing as well as other management situations. There are three main points I want to make about holistic grazing that are important for you to understand. . 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). Look no further than Kiss the Ground, a newly-released Netflix documentary that explores the relationship between climate change and dirt. 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. what happens if you get a violation on interlock. 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. 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. So the the more microbes, the more necromass and the faster SOM including soil organic matter is built. Work your way down the list until you find the things that youre willing to do. . Ganretts white paper doesnt even mention soil microbiology. This is where a report written by Dr. Tara Garnett for the University of Oxford becomes very interesting a report titleGrazed and Confusedthat I have written about beforehere. Ray: Initially, when I first met the Kiss the Ground group, I told them that I was really concerned about how they should approach the landowners. Autor de l'entrada Per ; Data de l'entrada calexico west port of entry hours; 12 month libor rate 2021 a kiss the ground fact checking a kiss the ground fact checking Check out this map for farms local to you Regenerative Farm Map Regeneration International. Ryland is also the producer of The Kiss the Ground documentary and the co-creator of the 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. 'Kiss the Ground' Shows How Soil Health Can Save Us From - Treehugger This form of regenerative agriculture is by no means the silver bullet that its so often portrayed to be and is certainly not what theworlds leading climate scientistsare most excited by. The animals themselves arent the problem, where and how is the issue. Ray: I met the Kiss the Ground group in 2015. 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. Proof that this works if given the chance. The sort of solution you might suspect is at the top of all climate scientists lists. What do you hope viewers will take away from the movie? Kiss the Ground | Soil Health Solutions | Join the Movement! 70% of US cropland grows only corn, soy and hay, and this is mainly to feed livestock (99%!). 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. 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. This process of soil destruction is detrimental to agriculture. Grazing livestock are net contributors to the climate problem, as are all livestock. All whilst minimising our 'footprint'. I approached this film with professional interest, not just as a News Fellow with Stone Pier Press, but as someone trained in biology at college, regenerative farming at the Rodale Institute (three of the films agricultural experts work/ed here), and food systems at graduate school. Nature Communications, 6, 6995. doi:10.1038/ncomms7995 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7995, Wang, T., Teague, W., Park, S., & Bevers, S. (2015). Over the years, tilling causes the soil to dirt, leaving it vulnerable to erosion and desertification. poet charles mackay biography Did you know that we can save the world with soil? Kiss the Ground features successful composting programs in San Francisco, Detroit, and Haiti. All farmable soil could be gone in 60 years. 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. 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. From rehabilitating entire ecosystems to growing home victory gardens, there are plenty of ways to get involved in regenerative agriculture. 114k square miles regenerated! 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. A group of activists had gathered to see what could be done about Climate Change. This dirt then cannot store water, and heats up massively under the sun with no protection, baking the soils and exacerbating the problem. Rumi. This is a huge problem. All of us make critical decisions every day as we manage our lives and we dont consult the literature when making those decisions. 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. Kiss the Ground is a 501 (c)(3) Nonprofit If we pull the pin on that, it means one thing and one thing only. This is a review Im very familiar with having read through it front to back a handful of times. However, this was taken from a United Nations speech, which leading soil scientists say isabsolutely not supported by science. While Morgan Freemans voice might have been a better match for shots of billowing fields of grain, perhaps Harrelsons raspy tone is an appropriate fit for the seriousness of the climate crisis. kiss the ground fact checking - cnatrainingnyc.com Now all debates have two sides and Savory has been confronted with this information before. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. There are no simple solutions to complex problems. I do feel bad for the farmers trapped in the cycle though. 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. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. . In COP21 in Paris, 2015. have no problems. With topsoils disappearing and temperatures rising, about 2/3 of the world is desertifying. 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. This is actually seen using satellites which monitor the CO2 levels. 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 . 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. Kiss the Ground Movie Review | Common Sense Media The movie stars Woody Harrelson, David Arquette, Gisele Bundchen, Jason Mraz (and others) and three newly minted stars you may know personally: Understanding Ags Ray Archuleta, Gabe Brown and Kris Nichols, Ph.D. Those of us who have been in the regenerative ag arena for some time, already know these three as soil health super-stars, but now a wider, world-wide audience will benefit from their experience, insight and wisdom, too. 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.