“Despite all our accomplishments, we owe our existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.” – Paul Harvey
Claire Mackenzie and Colin Ramsay are the visionary filmmakers behind the independent, British documentary, "Six Inches of Soil", that is pioneering conversations about the future of farming and the environment not just in Britain, but around the world.
Their film follows three young British farmers who are working to restore soil health and promote biodiversity in response to the environmental challenges posed by industrial farming practices.
Recorded in January this year, Claire and Colin share their journey from concept to screen and how their film is sparking discussions across the country, bringing attention the importance of soil not just as the foundation of agriculture but as a natural solution for our fight against climate change, particularly in storing carbon and water retention.
Watch Six Inches of Soil now: Vimeo: https://sixinchesofsoil.vhx.tv/ Prime: https://amzn.to/3YgExpU
Two of the farmers featured in this film have already been on this podcast. Listen to their episodes here:
Anna Jackson - City Photographer to Regenerative Farmer: https://spoti.fi/3tKgZ1c
Adrienne Gordon - The Organic Market Garden Set Up From Scratch: https://spoti.fi/4f8yhXM
Support the podcast: Get a whopping 65% off your first Gousto box at: https://www.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=TOM42277653
Mentioned in the Podcast:
Dirt To Soil by Gabe Brown: https://chelseagreen.co.uk/book/dirt-to-soil/
Groundswell - https://groundswellag.com/
Adrienne Gordon’s Sweetpea Market Garden - https://sweetpeamarketgarden.co.uk/
Cambridge Organic - https://cambridgeorganic.co.uk/
Hodmedod’s. Pulses, Grains, Seeds and Flour from British Farms - https://hodmedods.co.uk/
Riverfood - https://www.riverford.co.uk/
Get Fair About Farming campaign has now changed to: https://www.sustainweb.org/news/sep24-farmers-against-farmwashing-campaign/
Marina O'Connell features in this film and was mentioned. Sadly, since this recording, Marina passed away: https://www.apricotcentre.co.uk/in-memoriam-marina
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https://www.threads.net/@tombryanyeah
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:17 It’s all about the soil
06:12 Claire’s connection to where food comes from
09:15 Seeing the comparison between healthy and unhealthy soil
12:56 The problem with industrial farming
19:06 The current system is wrong, not the farmers
21:22 The nature of soils in the UK
24:30 What Regenerative Agriculture is
27:36 Buzzwords and Greenwashing
35:03 The benefits to farmers
39:03 The three stories chosen in the film
43:53 Anna and her family’s regenerative farm
46:04 Adrienne’s organic market garden, Sweetpea
53:37 Ben’s regeneratively farmed cattle
59:24 The problem with meat
01:02:38 Big Industry’s influence
01:11:10 Labelling of food
01:16:31 The benefits of healthy soil
01:22:11 The erosion of UK soil
01:24:55 Marina O’Connell’s casestudy
01:26:47 Working out what to fit in the final film
01:35:34 Funding and teaming the film
01:42:04 Enjoying the distribution journey