Kiss the Ground

Parsonage Down Farm on Salisbury Plain. Farmed in for the last 100 years in a traditional way, without pesticides.

Soil Health.

I know, I mentioned a free movie, right? Well that’s still on the table (and Woody Harrelson, Gisele Bündchen, Tom Brady and Patricia Arquette are all in it) so why am I talking about soil? I know, it’s not a subject that the average person is going to tell you that they’ve been thinking about. But as I see more and more reports about places becoming submerged under water it’s apparent that we need to start shouting about this and the way our food is farmed. Ok, don’t switch off. I can see some of you scratching your heads and asking how food and floods are connected. Well, read on, it’s not boring I promise.

If you’ve not yet watched the film Kiss the Ground, you really should. It’s easy to digest and explains, better than most, how the most prolific worldwide farming practices are helping speed up and multiply floods. If you’re a teacher, student, parent who is home-schooling or a community organiser, you can stream this film for free. Otherwise it’s on Netflix and Vimeo for £1 - just click on the Kiss the Ground link above to find out more.

The film is not all doom and gloom but the message is loud and clear. We need to change.

Of course, floods have been happening around the world for a long time. We’ve all watched, safe and cosy in our homes, as people in far flung places have dragged their belongings, dogs and children through waist-to-neck-high waters. And those of us who have taken note have sipped our cups of tea and shaken our heads feeling hopeless. But please, no more of that my friends, time to get clued up and take action by sharing your new-found knowledge with friends and family. We need to talk about soil.

Of course it’s arrogant to think that everyone should know and understand that the process of repeatedly planting the same crops (monoculture) in the same fields over and over, year on year, is causing soil erosion and leading to floods. As humans, we need to eat to keep going, so for most of us eating food (let alone how we grow it) is just an essential daily motion. But even with chemicals and GM crops, soon we will struggle to grow nutritious food in our once-upon-a-time, healthy fields. Our soil is dying and with dead soil we will not survive.

More and more of these floods are happening, and closer to home, too, so I think that this blog post will be of great value to those who don’t yet know what’s happening. I wonder if the people affected have watched the movie and if they have, I wonder if they feel strong enough to raise awareness with friends and family?

It’s a hard subject to talk about because it feels like it’s out of our control, but that’s not the case. Here are 10 great ways that everyone can try to help reduce flooding.

Take care everyone and please do try and watch the film; it’s great, plus did I mention Woody Harrelson is in it?

: )

Thanks, Jill x