It is the first time I have seen anyone can make an agricultural documentary so fascinating.
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Most urban people have pastoral dreams, but most people only stay in the "dream" stage, and very few people will actually practice it.
If it hadn't been for the eviction order for their adopted dog to disturb their neighbors, John and Molly would not seriously consider this matter that they hadn't put on their agenda for a long time.
In 2011, they made a business plan, found investors, bought a 1,200 acres of farm, and determined to start practicing the long-awaited farm life.
In 2019, after eight years of hard work, their farm, Apricot Lane Farm, has already achieved profitability. After delivering countless pigs, sheep, and chickens, they ushered in the most precious little life: their own children .
The couple, who are (former) wildlife photographers and food bloggers, recorded the laughter and tears along the way, and this resulted in a documentary that won rave reviews from global audiences: "The Biggest Little Farm".
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There are many people around the world who practice organic agriculture, traditional agriculture, biodynamics, natural farming or whatever you call it. These warm and true stories have the opportunity to be presented.
However, this film became popular not only because of the beauty of the pictures, but because it truly presents the mystery of natural cycles and life.
The farm they had originally imagined was as beautiful as everyone had seen in fairy tale books.
Unfortunately, if the 1,200 acre farm they first took over is a fairy tale, it is also a black fairy tale: on the land destroyed by the previous owners, there are dead ponds, dead bees, and the soil is so hard that it can’t be shoveled with a shovel, and there is no sign of life. .
In the large-scale intensive agriculture of the past few decades, in order to improve production efficiency (whether it is really improved, it is a question mark), people planted single crops on large plots of land, the ecological balance was destroyed, and soil and pest problems were serious. , Can only be solved by a large amount of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and pesticides. And these products make the ecology even more unbalanced, forming a vicious circle, until the soil loses vitality, nothing can be grown again.
This is the status quo that the couple desperately want to change.
They made it clear from the beginning that they would do "traditional agriculture" (everyone’s "tradition" is different, so we won’t worry about this concept for the time being), no chemical fertilizers, pesticides and pesticides, or even manual pest control, and totally rely on The self-regulation of the ecosystem reaches a balance.
(This wonderful promise made them suffer later)
Under the guidance of Alan York, a world-famous practical expert in traditional agriculture, they cut down the original single avocado tree, burned it into ash and composted, returned it to the soil, and introduced a variety of plants and animals to restore the diversity of the system. .
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With the increase of species, the land rejuvenates day by day. Trouble also followed.
Under their "non-intervention policy", the raging snails not only ate a lot of green leaves, but also crawled onto the heads of sheep; there were too many ducks and a large amount of manure made the pond eutrophication, and the fish died; the fruit grew so much. Very good, but attracted a large number of birds to peck, resulting in a poor harvest; gophers did help loose the ground, but they destroyed the root system of the fruit tree; chickens and sheep slowly increased, and the wild wolves were attracted...
The balance is either higher on the left or higher on the right, and it cannot be balanced.
Finally one day, after the wolf killed more than two hundred chickens in one go, John collapsed and picked up his shotgun.
Boom!
"As the wolf fell, part of my belief, the uncompromising idealistic force, that is, the things that brought us to the most beautiful place in this life, also disappeared."
He broke his promise and actively interfered with the operation of this system. He was very upset and miserable.
This is the greatest value of this documentary: it not only shows the real beauty, but also the real toil, the real cruelty, and the real betrayal. If faith can be maintained easily, what is faith? It's about struggle, it's about struggle, and it's about persistence.
John never gave up his beliefs. After learning from the pain, he observed more patiently and meticulously, and found that Nature had already given a solution. Not "manually eliminate pests" does not mean that they will not interfere at all. Each species has its role in the ecosystem, and each species also has its enemies to check and balance. Make good use of this intricate relationship, and rewards will come.
Putting ducks in the orchard can not only reduce the eutrophication of the pond, but their dung can also nourish the land of the orchard. The most gratifying thing is that they are born snail killers!
Eagles eat birds, ladybugs eat aphids, shepherd dogs will prevent wolves from approaching domestic animals, and even the wild wolf, which once caused him the most headache, can help eat gophers.
The broken chain is connected little by little to form a closed loop. "The flywheel has already started to operate, and now it will become self-sustaining and self-regulating, so I envisioned a life cycle like this, where plants, livestock, and wild animals work together to advance the flywheel, nourish our soil and coexist in harmony."
What kind of role should human beings play in the ecosystem? We can't be too arrogant, thinking that we are the creator, and we can design to dominate everything; we can't be too inferior, thinking that we are useless to great nature. Humans should act as a good coordinator to balance the symbiotic relationship among various species for nature.
And seeing this clearly, you don’t have to be a vegetarian to love animals, plants, and the entire ecosystem.
"On the one hand, you need to live in harmony with animals, on the other hand, some animals are always going to be eaten; even if you know that they will be eaten after all, you still can't help but have feelings for them." This is something John hasn't figured out yet. Complex emotions, but this does not prevent each other from loving each other while alive.
Alan once said that the end of diversity is simplicity.
The so-called avenue to Jane.
For eight full years, they finally reached this state.
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But life is not a movie, there is no such thing as Happy Ending. Even if they managed to reach such an inharmonious but reluctant balance, nature would not be more kind to them. Droughts, hurricanes, rainstorms, fires... there are not few natural disasters that should have occurred, but they all survived miraculously. Sometimes it depends on luck, but most of the time, it depends on this powerful ecosystem.
Now their farm has passed the Demeter US biodynamic farm certification, which is the most stringent in the world of organic agriculture. It produces more than 100 different organic vegetables and fruits every year. It also provides visits and welcomes volunteers and interns to practice and learn. As I mentioned in " The Rise of Social Agriculture " before, the value of agriculture is not only in providing food, it also has greater possibilities.
"Whenever I look up at the Milky Way, I am deeply fascinated by its complexity. It is easy to forget that the Earth is also a part of the Milky Way. It makes it difficult for me to understand. I am following everything in front of me. Spin."
This small farm contains the mysteries of nature and life, and is worthy of being the "largest small farm".
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