Voices of Transition

Nils Aguilar's documentary explores the changing face of agriculture—focusing on France, England, and Cuba—putting forth the hypothesis that the Green Revolution, which resulted in huge increases in agricultural production, has begun to falter. Land farmed with monoculture crops, non-renewing seed, and oil-based fertilizers and pesticides is starting to fail, as the earth is stripped of nutrients (and inclined to erode when fallow). The hope expressed by the assorted researchers, activists, and farmers featured here is that intensive, small-scale organic farming can help replenish the soil and end reliance on increasingly expensive petrochemicals. Aguilar visits “agroforests” in France, where trees are integral to holding and enriching the soil, and “transition towns” in England, where communities are being forged as people farm together in the cities. In Cuba, where a U.S. embargo has prevented oil imports, citizens have been forced to be innovative, encouraging the development of small plots and urban agriculture. Organic has become the norm in Cuba because there are no oil-based fertilizers, pesticides, or fungicides; even tilling is done with animals instead of tractors. As the film notes, one often-overlooked side effect of small-scale sustainable farming is an increase in satisfaction of living—a point illustrated here in scenes of smiling people enjoying the results of their hard work. An inspiring documentary, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Gardner)