One Man, One Cow, One Planet – Review

This is a multi-award winning documentary film about practical “closed loop” thinking. But what does that mean? In a closed loop system there is no such thing as waste. All the outputs from the system go back into the system, waste from one part of the system is food for another part. But no Waste… that’s impossible! Are there any examples of this working anywhere? Plenty, and all around us. This is how nature has been working for the last 3.5 billion years and why the natural environment has survived so long.

150 000 suicides and false dreams

Over 150,000 Indian farmers have committed suicide because they are not able to farm anymore. They have been sold a false dream. They thought that corporate agribusiness would allow them to get better yields and provide more for their families but instead it has destroyed their land with the use of GMO crops, toxic pesticides and artificial fertilisers.

This has lead to health problems, ecosystem collapse, destruction of soil fertility and soil erosion. Basically their land is dead and the chemicals are making them ill. The soil is now just a holder for the plant and contains no life. The farmers are totally dependent on expensive products from agribusiness companies in order to grow anything.

Peter Proctor, the hero

Enter the hero, Peter Proctor. Peter is a mild mannered Kiwi with a passion of compost and cow dung. He has been showing farmers all over India how they can simply and cheaply regain the fertility of their land using cow dung, waste vegetation and human labour. Biodynamic farming uses closed loop thinking, in tune with nature, to create sustainable healthy environments and food for these farmers. Increasingly more and more farmers are turning to biodynamics to safeguard their futures.

Peter and his wife have moved to India and will most likely spend the rest of their days sharing their knowledge of biodynamic farming with the people there. It is an inspiring film of how each of us can use our energy to make a difference whatever age and background we come from.

In many ways this is simply relearning methods of agriculture that sustained us for thousands of years.

• For more info about films and talks coming up please take a look at Icologie.