A 2019 documentary by the Food Revolution Network (FRN), The Need To Grow is alerting the world on the dangers of an industrial farming system, and challenging humans on the need for, and to support sustainable farming practices.
The documentary, executive produced and narrated by actress, Rosario Dawson (Men In Black II, Walking Tall) highlights three individuals fighting for the implementation of non-chemicalized food production systems that are not toxic to the human body, from their little corner and communities.
An eight-year old girl hoping to change the planet, and that people will learn to help their communities and themselves. A farmer who has unlocked the secret to growing 100 per cent organic food at warp speed via a regenerative soil innovation that does in four to five days what it would take mother nature 400 years. Finally, an inventor disrupting food, fuel and fertiliser all in one powerhouse (technology).
But it is also a story of resilience as things don’t pan out as they had hoped. The little girls hope to make girls scout cookies more healthy is dashed when a political representative she and her mother were scheduled to meet, cancels on them last minute; the farmer is in danger of losing his land that houses his regenerative soil solutions, and the inventor is shocked to find one morning that his agric technology burned down, confirming his initial worry that “the project would be squashed before it gets out.”
“It takes a lot of energy for this to burn down,” said the inventor.
However, in the face of disappointments, they are stayig strong and telling their story to galvanise support and strength to start again. They are challenging others to ask, “with the planet on the brink of ecological disaster, with chronic disease rates skyrocketing, what can I do?”
While the world will do better with an integrated agricultural systems (commercial, regenerative and subsistence farming systems), people can learn to take action in their little corners and small communities, actions that can coalesce into a massive voice that can bring about the desired change we seek.
The award-winning documentary is currently free to view for several days on the Food Revolution Network (FRN) or The Need To Grow page both on Facebook. FRN is dedicated to the mission of ensuring healthy, ethical and sustainable food for all.
