Curator
— Natale Zappia, Associate Professor of History, Director of the Institute for Sustainability, California State University, Northridge
Demonstrates that it is possible to rehabilitate large-scale damaged ecosystems, to restore ecosystem functions in… more
Final Straw
For nearly a century, industrial farming has unleashed ecologically destructive ways of growing food across the planet, affecting economies, cultures, health, and biodiversity. This film highlights aspirational but achievable methods to create “natural farms” in this thought-provoking journey through Japan, Korea, and the United States.
Curator
This film was selected by Natale Zappia, Associate Professor of History, Whittier College
Teacher's guide
View the teacher's guide for maps, background information, discussion questions, suggested activities and supplementary resources.
Synopsis
Final Straw: Food, Earth, Happiness is a documentary by directors Patrick Lydon and Suhee Kang. Filmed over a four year period in Japan, Korea and United States, the film finds inspiration in the work of diverse chefs and farmers who have been inspired by the philosophy of the late Masanobu Fukuoka and his seminal book One Straw Revolution which offers what the filmmakers call “a brilliant yet maddeningly simple path to sustainability and well being for people and the environment.”
The film is divided into three sections 1) Modern Life, 2) Foundations and Mindset of Natural Farming, and 3) Natural Farming in Practice and Life
A note from the filmmakers Suhee Kang and Patrick M. Lydon
"During the making of this film, the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released a report which made clear to the world that we only have 60 years of farming left if we continue our ecologically destructive ways of growing food. Add to this, issues of social and economic inequality, resource depletion, and a changing climate that threatens our very existence, and the path forward seems daunting at the least. So where do we go from here?"
Download the transcript (PDF)
