This documentary covers sustainable farming following the methods and philosophy of Masanobu Fukuoka whose famous book “One Straw Revolution” had a global impact on ecology when published in the 1970s. Several of Fukuoka’s disciples, climate scientists, and farmers lend their voices to this documentary. Somber and artful, it is best described by the filmmakers: "During the making of this film, the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released a report which made clear to the world that we only have 60 years of farming left if we continue our ecologically destructive ways of growing food. Add to this, issues of social and economic inequality, resource depletion, and a changing climate that threatens our very existence, and the path forward seems daunting at the least.” Through three sections, the documentary explains the pressing need to transform our methods and mindsets around farming. The two filmmakers capture footage and interviews in Japan, Korea, and California, highlighting the need for a new agricultural revolution to help save our planet.
The fact that this was a two-person production impressed me immediately. The cinematography throughout Final Straw is intriguing and inspiring. Artful sections - such as the sound collage at the film’s beginning representing modern life - are delicate touches that add substantial impact to the information and philosophy shared throughout the documentary. Throughout the documentary, we are shown how mechanized, industrial farming is stripping the life from the soil. Arguments against the suicidal economic dogma of infinite growth are placed front and center, rallying against the current strain of economics and politics that values money over nature, and consumerism over health. Ecologically-minded instructors will be particularly interested in this title, but some may find it occasionally overly philosophical for some classroom settings. Those looking for a modern overview of one of the major causes of the climate crisis will find excellent value in Final Straw: Food, Earth, Happiness.
What college instructors could use this title?
Professors of agriculture, ecology, and economics may be particularly interested in Final Straw.
What kind of film series could use this title?
Final Straw would be a perfect choice for ecology and agriculture film series.
How does this film contribute to a discussion of environmental or climate justice, and/or to environmental literacy?
This film centers on the intersection of justice, sustainability, and simplicity. Utilizing a comparative lens across two continents, the film counters other compelling but dire environmental justice narratives by focusing on the agency, beauty, and holistic nature of sustainable permaculture practices.
Equally important, the film is larger than the sum of its parts, as it has created a foundation for collaborating with environmental justice efforts, linking the directors with non-profit groups, community-based organizations, urban farms, school gardens, and art collectives, all centered around social and ecological well-being.
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Final Straw: Food, Earth, Happiness offers a compelling direction for those seeking to unplug from the materially driven, resource-intensive global food system. For nearly a century, industrial farming has unleashed ecologically destructive ways of growing food across the planet, affecting economies, cultures, health, and biodiversity. This film highlights aspirational but achievable methods to create “natural farms” in this thought-provoking journey through Japan, Korea, and the United States. It manages to turn our perceptions of food and life upside down in a remarkably simple and poetic way.
Teacher's Guide
Curator | Natale Zappia
Associate Professor of History, Director of the Institute for Sustainability, California State University, Northridge
Why I selected this film
I use this film in my environmental history and food systems course. As a scholar trained in early American, environmental, and borderlands history, I am interested in seeing how long-term environmental change intersects with modern food systems and with community-based movements that are fighting for access to healthy environments in rural and urban areas. This film connects all these themes as it shows the growing connection between organic farmers and community-based social movements.
I found this film complements the “application” portion of the course when my students participate in the sustainable urban farm lab on campus. By pointing out what others have successfully achieved, the film further motivates students to engage in small-scale permaculture food production.
Please see the teacher's guide for maps, background information and suggested subjects, questions and activities.
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