Mendocino County Public Broadcasting’s KZYX News catches up with Rebecca Tickell, director of Common Ground, a documentary that recently received the Tribeca Film Festival’s 2023 Human/Nature Award. The film, a follow-up to Kiss the Ground, takes a close look at the intersections of U.S. farming policies, politics, and health. It highlights how regenerative agriculture and soil health can drive systemic change for the better.
“Conventional agriculture is the dominant method used in the U.S.,” Tickell explained. “It relies heavily on chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, and usually involves monocropping.” In contrast, she described regenerative agriculture as a practice that “mimics nature” by building soil health, promoting biodiversity, and benefiting both the ecosystem and the community.
Tickell discussed the global implications of regenerative practices, noting how the approach benefits communities in countries like India, where farmers often cannot eat the food they produce under conventional farming due to chemical contamination. In regenerative systems, she emphasized, there is “abundance for everyone, including humans and animals.”
Common Ground will screen at Round Valley Library Commons in Covelo on October 11 at 7 p.m., as part of a sustainable film series presented by the Friends of the Round Valley Public Library. For more details, visit KZYX.org or call the library at 707-983-6736.