I dont understand how they didnt emphasize that you still have to eat a plant rich diet if you want everyone in the world to eat pasture raised animals Theres only so much to land and hence animals you can raise. As a side note, the documentary routinely employed uses numerous fear-mongering tactics to scare the viewer into grasping for whatever solution comes next. The animal point here is controversial I know. Our current farming methods are simply not sustainable. 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. Required fields are marked *. 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. It carries pleasant stuff. Filmmakers Josh Tickell and Rebecca Tickell wound up spending seven years making their latest doc, "Kiss the Ground," and all along the way they worried that by the end of the process there . This is a huge problem. . by Sarah Read | May 18, 2022 | Eat, Eco-friendly eating, Sustainable living tips and advice, Think, Kiss the Ground is another in the line of eco-documentaries that Netflix is putting out there (albeit one of the first and most famous). In fact, the documentary claims that greenhouse gases are sequestered (stored/drawn down) in grazing herds, due to the generation of healthy soils, but released in feed lots where the animals are not a part of the natural cycle. Its a practice that requires a level of care you have to commit to every time you go into the field. Id be willing to donate it to them. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Farmers, scientists, cows, and celebrities work together in this documentary to spread the good word about regenerative agriculture and its potential to mitigate climate change. This is why science is so important. Ill summarise the main points for you in this article; what the issues are, why soil is the answer, and how you can help to save you having to invest the time to watching it yourself. Enteric methane is broken down in a short period of time, and microbial methane is the same carbon cycling and recycling over and over. Carrie Richards is not giving up. Now all debates have two sides and Savory has been confronted with this information before. The role of ruminants in reducing agricultures carbon footprint in North America. Celebrity activists, including Ian Somerhalder and Patricia Arquette, drop by to promote a suite of carbon-capture climate change solutions theyre personally involved in, from diversified permaculture to compost toilets. Despite the documentary not spelling it out, its very clear. (Source: Kiss the Ground). 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. In the past, I did not like how certain environmental groups portrayed farmers. Here are five things I learned from Kiss the Ground. Not to mention, I got a chuckle out of Bundchen calling Earth, Big Mama.. Garnett, Poore and their ilk just do key word searches on computer screens and average parsed pre-existing data in their papers. 114k square miles regenerated! 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. The solution is right under our feet THE SOIL. 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. and experts are committed to making an impact through a wide range of contentand Holistic management is a decision making framework which has been developed over the years to deal with complex situations. 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. 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. I enjoyed Woody Harrelson as a narrator; he felt genuine. Heres my critique of that paper: https://lachefnet.wordpress.com/2018/03/25/its-the-soil-biology-stupid/ This paper includes a number of these soil science papers. They are both such impactful leaders in this movement because they are called to bring these concepts to farmers and ranchers everywhere. If the U.S shifted away from intensive livestock farming to traditional grazing, its been calculated that theavailable grasslands would only be able to produce 27 percent of the countries current beef supply. care as a social process). We need to act. (Though theyre still good ideas.). Forages and Pastures Symposium: Cover Crops in Livestock Production: Whole-System Approach: Managing Grazing to Restore Soil Health And farm livelihoods. Our mission stands strong: to awaken people to the possibilities of regeneration and inspire participation in the regenerative movement. This positioning starts with the documentarys focus on theDrawdown Reportby Environmentalist Paul Hawken from Project Drawdown. They correctly state that Bison would pass through land and not be seen for around a year. 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? | Plant Based News Ltd, PO Box 71173, London, SE20 9DQ, United Kingdom. No big deal. Were trapped on a planet to which we've already done irreparable damage. From rehabilitating entire ecosystems to growing home victory gardens, there are plenty of ways to get involved in regenerative agriculture. There is not enough money in the world to get me to move from Gods country, North Dakota! are needed to help heal the earth. 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. I dont know a single holistic management practitioner that advocates cutting down forests to grow more cattle. We all know that science has its failings. 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?) That was good enough for me. 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. In fact, if we look at the solutions outlined in theDrawdown Reportand their potential to draw down carbon from our atmosphere, shifting to a diet that favours calories from plants is twice as powerful compared to shifting to silvopasture and four times as powerful compared as shifting to managed grazing two forms of regenerative agriculture that involve livestock. Neither does the author. IMPRESS, 16-18 New Brige Street, London, EC4V 6AG. There are no simple solutions to complex problems. Often, our best solutions arent actually that innovative; they simply mimic natural processes and what the Earth already does. Ryland co-founded Kiss the Ground in his living room with a friend ten years ago. All of these issues and more can be addressed, at least partially, by regenerative ag. The basic premise of Kiss the Ground is that the destruction of soil is contributing to the severity and intensity of climate change. 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. Its not a bad thing per se. Using livestock is thought to make this process 7 times faster! Jemima is the Head of Editorial of Plant Based News. If we pull the pin on that, it means one thing and one thing only. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. poet charles mackay biography 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. In the 1930s the Dust Bowl was created. When receiving subsidies for crops like corn and beans, farmers know that they will make a profit. We recently caught up with @mcgrathfamilyfarm. Animals grazing is a part of the carbon cycle, and part of every healthy ecosystem in wild. Potential mitigation of midwest grass-finished beef production emissions with soil carbon sequestration in the United States of America. Many farms are barely making a profit and are heavily subsidised by tax payers, if they can be taught to grow food this way, they may see a rise in profits and governments can cease the massive subsidies and use these funds elsewhere! The long term prognosis for our survival with business as usual is very, very poor . 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. I was also pleased the documentary shone a light on food waste and composting these are two things that many of us can introduce into our daily lives with minimal barriers to entry. Kiss the Ground was created in 2013 from a meeting in Venice Beach. Less meat to go around and significantly higher prices per unit. . A soil without organic matter becomes dirt, a mix of rock materials and cannot support life. https://blog.whiteoakpastures.com/hubfs/WOP-LCA-Quantis-2019.pdf. But 99 percent of those crops go to feeding livestock. Impacts of soil carbon sequestration on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Midwestern USA beef finishing systems. If youve heard anything about Tom Bradys lifestyle, you know that its extreme. Farmers need to learn how to regenerate and take care of the soil. Where I think the documentary falls short is in three critical areas. Your email address will not be published. Hotter soils during the day create hot rising air, which pushes any of these clouds away, and is how deserts are formed and grow. There was mention of a regenerative diet but what does that mean? Humans have created such a massive disturbance in our topsoil and atmosphere that the only way out is forward. By 2014 there was no vegetation left across an area the size of Belgium! Any plans to hire an agent or move to L.A? 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. 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. Did you know that we can save the world with soil? We can all make some simple changes for massive benefits to our health and footprint. The other 60% are the large sea-driven cycles. San Francisco have an amazing system, and are the most sustainable city in the US! can scoop up and heroically rescue. Several scientists featured in Kiss the Ground are clear that simply reducing carbon emission wont be enough to save the planet. But what good is hope if its false? To start tiny or full-size victory gardens, turn their lawns into meadows, petition their city councils to zone land for community farms/gardens, or donate to conservation nonprofits or farmland trusts? 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. Unfortunately, Savory seems to have led himself to believe that his unscientific approach should be expanded across the world really, tear down more forests to make room for holistic grazing? This is bio sequestration using plants to capture and store carbon. This is a review Im very familiar with having read through it front to back a handful of times. Its a system of thinking and working that takes knowledge, skill, experience, endurance, affinity, if you've got it, and a lot of hard work, just like any other difficult undertaking. Plowing the earth, preparing fields for planting, exposing bare soil. 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. By Biodiverse cover crops to feed the soil biology and protect the soils. Just consider the thousands of peer reviewed papers advocating this diet or that diet and the people in the US are still among the most malnourished in the developed world. The message gets across, but the film downplays a meaningful call to action. Doing just one will make a difference!! The central tenant is that its a diet that places enormous emphasis on calories from plants and de-emphasizes calories from animal products. But efforts have been made to restore the soils since 1994. 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. In COP21 in Paris, 2015. Water and carbon escape into the atmosphere in enormous plumes blanketing the entire northern hemisphereshown onscreen as ominous swirls of red. 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. We should harness the regenerative power of the earth and its processes. My greatest hope is for me to continue to do this and any chances I have to do so, I will take. Gabe: I would have liked the movie to highlight the importance of grazing animals. On one hand, the use of celebrity ambassadors is an unsubtle but effective tactic to draw casual viewers and followers. Savorys claims dont stand up when you put them under the microscope. This movie will also counterbalance the cowspiracy environmentalists and others with incorrect understanding of cows. Awesome! It's a nonprofit organization that he leads today as executive director. kiss the ground fact checking Until recently, however, the roles of soil and grazing animals have been missing pieces of the climate puzzle. 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. kisstheground. Post war, these have been rebranded as farm chemicals. Above all, its great to see this conversation growing from what has very much been a fringe movement to now entering the mainstream. 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. 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. Overlaying it, a swirling heat map of global atmospheric carbon, changing from dark red to cool blue over the course of a year. The key points in Kiss the Ground. 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. Livestock and Land Use: How Are We Feeding The Planet? Shop organic where you can. ), Pollinator garden/market flowers at Copper Cricket Farm. Im not suggesting we should only be changing our diet but given it has greater potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions you would think it would have been given more emphasis than putting cows on pasture. I doubt this will require an agent or a move haha! 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. Its a good vibe, like a 90-minute team-taught TED Talkindustrious, sensible, leaning into the future. Support regenerative farming movements like Regeneration International Donate Regeneration International | Organic Consumers (netdonor.net) and Kiss the Ground Kiss the Ground (ktgcommunity.com) which are spreading the word. 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. Plus FCRNs paper simply ignored the existing peer reviewed science with its claim that no such science exists. #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. 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. 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. What do you hope will be an outcome from the movie? 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. BookstoreBook submissionsNewsNewsletter signupRecipesGardening, Our storyGet involvedJobs/FellowshipPartnersContact usPrivacy Shipping & return policy. Their technical expertise should be enough to convince us that their message is not only correct but worth listening to. The sort of solution you might suspect is at the top of all climate scientists lists. In other words, his claims cannot be supported by data, replicated by others and he doesnt believe in science. 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. We need to talk about agriculture in a way thats meaningful to people with boots on the ground and enumerate specific steps that lead to material change. Check out her story here or take a look at HOW she can help you on the Services page. If filmmakers are serious about educating and calling people to action, they shouldn't couch their messages in gentle, sweeping language. Makes sense why the documentary didnt go there! No topsoils; no food! In short:- If you act with maturity and consideration for other users, you should One can only presume that the slaughtering of the animal is not about soil quality, but about profits. Watching attentively, a classroom full of farmers. Eat quality (organic, pasture raised meat, or, even better, that from regenerative farms) meat as a treat not a staple. Your email address will not be published. Links to some of the recent research supporting HM, Teague, W. R. (2018). 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. Many of them are based on anecdotal evidence and experience. Our independent team of journalists The rest of our topsoils are projected to be lost within 60 years. However, this was taken from a United Nations speech, which leading soil scientists say isabsolutely not supported by science. 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. The claim: Video shows cracks in the ground that formed after earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. 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. This is a major oversimplification of our complex and varied farming system. 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. Is it possible that some of the great empires that seemingly vanished, like the Myans and Incas, did so because they over farmed, and could not feed their rising populations? berger 215 hybrid 300 win mag. Minimising the amount of mechanical disturbance, with no tilling/ploughing. Hopefully, this movie will help open many more. 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). 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. Grazing livestock are net contributors to the climate problem, as are all livestock. I thought it would be just another news release or another interview. The short clip featured Zelenskyy speaking and the audio was that of a translator. Kris: Yes. Thank you for the review. I am alive!. Nature Communications, 6, 6995. doi:10.1038/ncomms7995 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7995, Wang, T., Teague, W., Park, S., & Bevers, S. (2015). However, there is a slight problem with the way they presented the information from the Drawdown report. Yes, whats on our plate is even more important than where its come from or buying local. By taking carbon dioxide from the air, and sending it down to soil microbes in exchange for nutrients, plants can not only remove carbon from the atmosphere, but store carbon in the soils. 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? Ryland Engelhart is a philanthropist. Practically speaking this looks like the plate below perhaps this could be The Regenerative Plate that Kiss the Ground adopts in their communication going forwards.

Gakirah Barnes Autopsy Photos, Articles K