New Farms, Big Success

Can organic farming play a substantial role in the fight to reverse—or, at least, halt—climate change? New Farms, Big Success visits a trio of small, independently-run farms that rely on sustainable methods and avoid using fossil fuels as much as possible. Author Kristin Kimball's (The Dirty Life) Essex Farm in upstate New York and writer Jean-Martin Fortier's (The Market Gardener) Les Jardins de la Grelinette in Quebec are both presented as economically and ecologically viable alternatives to contemporary agricultural approaches, complete with man-powered or horse-powered plowing instead of polluting tractors. Greenhouse manager Lauren Rathmell's Montreal-based Lufa Farms is unique because its commercial growing operations are located on the roof of a warehouse, offering evidence that agricultural endeavors can be brought to the heart of an urban center. Also included is input from environmentalist Bill McKibben on the dangers fostered by climate change, as well as video clips of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon speaking about the contemporary state of the ecosystem. All three examples here are commendable, and the interviewees are highly articulate in explaining the benefits of their respective operations. Whether smaller-scale community-level farms can replace the larger commercial farms that are the mainstay of American agriculture remains uncertain, but this film certainly plants thoughtful seeds for discussion. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)