Small-Scale Farmers Cool the Planet starts less like a mellow little doc about organic farmers and more like a grade-A disaster flick: Epic floods inundate and obliterate cities like they were made of Legos, cracked earth fans across the countryside, and a desperate populace masses in the streets demanding we Stop the Monster. Like any good horror movie, there’s a twist: the floods are real, the demonstration is last September’s People’s Climate March, and the ravenous monster is of course anthropogenic climate change — ugly as Godzilla, twice as unstoppable.
Or not! Like Independence Day, the 17-minute doc from the Fair World Project also shows hwiow a humble hero can rise to beat the beast. In this case, we’re talking about organic farmers, who hope to help avert climate disaster by countering a global industrialized agricultural system that spews carbon willy-nilly with small-scale organic and fair trade farming practices. If they can influence policy makers to support regenerative organic ag and protect small-scale farmers, well, we might just have a fightin’ chance after all.
The film’s got star power, too. Respected organic-ag bigwigs like Dr. Vandana Shiva and the Rodale Institute’s Mark “Coach” Smallwood share how all of us — from farmers to eaters — can double down on hope in the age of climate disaster.
Sharpen your pitchforks, everyone, and watch the full movie above.
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