Here are my favourite films, books and sites to learn about soil in fun and entertaining ways.
Films
These are beautifully made and entertaining for the whole family.
Kiss the Ground – now playing on Netflix
Symphony of the Soil – you can watch the whole movie for free at this YouTube link
The Biggest Little Farm – you can buy or rent on You Tube or on various streaming platforms.
Books
I’ve limited this to just two. The first delivers the breakthroughs in science that’s only now being disseminated to and implemented by farmers. I hope it will speed up exponentially. The second is a truly eloquent account of the history of soil degradation and regeneration during one farmer’s life on his family farm in England. It’s exemplary and applicable anywhere.
The Soil Will Save Us – Kristin Ohlson
Pastoral Song – A Farmer’s Journey – James Rebanks
Websites
These are my current favourites. There are soooo many more!
Save Soil – Conscious Planet – Tons of resources: history of the save soil movement, videos, printed matter, tutorials on social media, how to become and Earth Buddy, presentation decks, school and business partnership opportunities and media updates
Dr Elaine’s Soil Food Web School – the world’s foremost soil scientist, Dr. Elaine Ingham, gives courses to empower individuals and organizations to regenerate soil in their communities
amazingcarbon.com – Dr Christine Jones’s website disseminates breakthroughs in soil science. Her work is broadly featured in the book The Soil Will Save Us
brownsranch – After four years of drought and hail damage, Gabe Brown could no longer afford synthetic inputs. He applied the research from Dr. Christine Jones and the National Soil Conservation Service and now out performs all of his conventional farming neighbours.
Holistic Management Canada – The most successful farmers I’ve met, use these systems based on the work of Alan Savoury. (watch his TED talk on reversing desertification and climate change)
Poly Face Farms – Polymath and farmer Joel Salatin has a goal: “To develop environmentally, economically, and emotionally enhancing agricultural prototypes and facilitate their duplication throughout the world.” He’s always worth listening to.
Spin Farming – Wally Satzewich is a Saskatoon market gardener who along with Roxanne Christensen wrote the book on Small Plot INtensive farming, “to make agriculture accessible to anyone, anywhere.”
youngagrarians.org – Resources and community for the next generation of farmers in Canada.
