Cinema Politica Presents - One Man, One Cow, One Planet

Cinema Politica gives a voice to some of the pressing issues that we face in the world today, stories from all corners of the earth that fail to grap the time or space on our conventional forms of media are aired.  There are branches of Cinema Politica across the globe, which are run by dedicated volunteers who are detrimined to provide other perceptives on issues to prompt debate and understanding.

We are lucky enough here in Newcastle to have such a dedicated group of volunteers who are also students, that take time out from their busy schedules to provide us with this opportunity.  The screenings take place at the Culture Lab, in the Newcastle University campus which provides space for creativity to be showcased and holds many events that are open to the public.  

One Man, One Cow, One Planet is a film that tells the story of Peter Proctor who has been a soil scientist for over 60 years and how he is trying to change the way we produce our food.  Moving away from the Green revolution of the 1960's which promised a controlled nature with the use of fertilisers and pesticides by using intensive irrigation, to a more holistic approach which focuses on the health of the soil as a basis for food production, called Biodynamic farming.  This film shows Peter Proctor and his wife move from New Zealand to India, as he hopes to sow the seeds to a new farming revolution that will ensure healthy food for everyone.

Biodynamic farming is based on the principle of producing compost and fertilisers from within the locality without using any industrial chemical ingredients, it also promotes community farms and shies away from the use of machinery favouring the human touch and intuation.  There are aspects of Biodynamic farming that rely on the spiritural rather than the scientific, but the apparent  overwhelming success of this method make this inconsequential.    

The link to Cinema Politica Newcastle is available on the Greenpeace Tyne and Wear home page.

Rakesh