ECO CAMBRIDGE
A PATH WE MUST TAKE Adrienne and Colin (above) uncover the jewels the earth provides – and explore the future of sustainable farming
this modern-day problem is found in the past – in the traditional farming methods that were once run-of-the-mill, such as low or no tillage, using minimal inputs and short supply chains, having a cover crop in winter, growing flower strips at the margins of fields and rotating the crop regularly. “All these things were practised many years ago, but were lost when we industrialised after the Second World War to bring down the price of food,” says Colin. “Now, the system has to change.” To show how this upheaval can be achieved, Colin and his team – including producer Claire Mackenzie, who also worked on From the Ground Up – have set about creating a feature-length film that follows three farmers, or ‘principals’, in different parts of England over the course of a year, from a livestock farmer on Bodmin Moor, to a father-and-daughter team in North Lincolnshire and a small market gardener here in Cambridgeshire. Although each principal works in a different aspect of farming, they are all united by their motivation to develop methods of farming that work with nature. “What I’m trying to do is produce food locally, so people can buy what’s in season directly from me,” explains Adrienne Gordon, one of the principals,
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make a massive difference to how the food system works.” “These farms can heal the planet; they can make a big difference,” Colin concurs. “A third of all greenhouse gases come from food and farming globally, and if we can get farming right, in nature-friendly ways, it can have huge benefits – not just for the ecology, the soil and biodiversity, but also for the farmers – by linking them more to the public and building relationships with the local area. “There are huge benefits to shifting, and huge questions as to how fast and how far we go,” he adds. “Most farmers know that change is coming, and that’s what this film is all about really – and trying to get the public and policymakers onside.” Six Inches of Soil is due to finish shooting in spring 2023, and will be screened at community events next autumn 2023. To keep in the loop, follow @sixinchesofsoil on Instagram and @sixinchessoil on Twitter, or visit sixinchesofsoil.org
who runs Sweetpea Market Garden on four acres of rented land in Caxton. “Rather than seeing nature as the enemy and trying to grow everything without pests and diseases, we focus on feeding the soil, so that it will grow healthy plants without the need for pesticides.” This approach to farming is called agroecology, which Adrienne defines as the intersection between agriculture and ecology, where agriculture is about humans and food production, while ecology refers to nature and biodiversity. “It encompasses how we grow food, but also how we treat the people that grow it – for example, if they are paid a decent wage. “Agroecology is also one of the best solutions for climate change,” she says. “By feeding the soil, we’re helping to store carbon and improve biodiversity; the more diversity, the more that system is able to cope with change. If we had people doing this in every village and supplying the local community with fresh vegetables, it would
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