I've looked for a universal
language everyone understands: Investors and entrepreneurs,
farmers and landowners... ...local communities
and ecological experts. Restoration is not a hobby,
it's a new industry we have to establish. I don't need this forest.
I planted it for the people. I didn't do it for the money. They want us to plant trees,
even on the good land. Even there. When I met John in 2009,
I really was touched. That was exactly the missing link
I needed. The Löss plateau, but especially
the before and after footage... ...told the full story. I'd been working on this for years
but this link really hit home. Restoration is not a hobby,
it's a new industry we have to establish. Not to maximize profits per hectare... ...but to maximize four returns
per hectare. The four returns are: Return of inspirational capital:
people, passion. Return of social capital:
job creation. Return of natural capital:
creating biodiversity... ...restoring biodiversity and nature. And they lead to return on investment,
financial capital. It can be agriculture, carbon sinks... ...or tourism, hunting or whatever. It could be real estate,
all depending on the local situation. But these basic principles of
the four returns apply to anything. To any project, wherever you are. Fertilize. Happiness. SEKEM's vision is in fact
the four returns vision. Everyone is inspired by different things,
return of inspiration... ...but by using this model... ...another SEKEM could get capital
and grow elsewhere... ...with different people. Because that's what we want: growth. One SEKEM is not enough,
we need hundreds. I've looked for a universal language
everyone understands. Investors and entrepreneurs,
farmers and landowners... ...local communities
and ecological experts. What have you got here? Little trees?
- These are pistachios. Pistachios? We use a system here where they are
kept in a water box. I know the system.
- This way we control the watering. And this one? How long has it been
here? How many months? This was planted in November. 25 hectares. How did this originate? There's degraded soil everywhere
in Europe, mainly in the South... ...where there's an unfavourable balance
of rain and evaporation. You see a lot of wasteland there... ...and especially in Spain, Greece
and the North African countries... ...you see the huge effect of erosion
every year... ...where with every downpour
tonnes of fertile soil are washed away. Erosion, in combination with
devegetation... ...is one of the biggest problems
facing us. The fertility of the soil disappears... ...so making use of the soil
is impossible. The combination of biodiversity and
agriculture is something we really need. Especially in countries... ...with an unfavourable balance
of evaporation and precipitation. I mean the South of Europe, Spain. Spain has 10 million hectares
of degraded soil. And what's more, the countryside
has been depopulating for decades. This is a devastating combination
if you want to develop a country. You can't build an economy
on cities and tourism alone. You have to consider the land
and its fertility. Some 240 people live in Ayoo. And the total population of the
community is some 350 people. And in the old days? More, much more. Ayoo had about 700 to 1000 inhabitants. But now the young people move away. Because they... There are few opportunities here. They can't live off the land. There's hardly any guarantee
they'll have a decent income. It hurts me to see the village like this. We used to have a lot of arable farming
and stockbreeding. Now you can see how our villages
are declining. It hurts. It is very hard. A lot more people are retiring. They think it's a shame
their fields are out of crop. And no one's farming them. Every year more fields become useless
because they're abandoned. It worries them a lot too. They would have preferred
their children and grandchildren... ...to profit from the land. It hurts them to see their land
being abandoned. There's no one to farm the fields
anymore. They've stopped planting. At the moment
there's no crop here... ...that's being grown or produced. There's nothing left. And there's no one here
who works the fields. Here you see the results of erosion. We see a hill. The hillsides are overgrown... ...but at the edges you can see
the vegetation disappear. By fires or other causes. Then the water washes away the soil... ...and as a result
nothing can grow there anymore. No grass, no shrubs. Not a single plant can grow here
anymore. This is what's happening with arable land
on a large scale... ...when nothing is grown on the hillsides
which are then exposed to the rains. That's why it's important
to farm the land all the time. This is a degraded area. 2000 years ago this was an oak forest
with a brook that fed it constantly. The soil was much richer in humus
and carbon than today. It offered useful services for the people
downstream. In the course of history
the soil has become degraded. Here and in many other parts
of the world. In the Netherlands too,
as in other Western countries. In places where there's more
evaporation than precipitation... ...this has led to an increased pace
of erosion. We must restore the natural systems... ...because they offer us services
that we can't do without. They are the building blocks
of our economy... ...and we're removing them
on a large scale. In the old days people always did
something for a reason. Nothing was done without a reason. But then we came here and changed
everything just like that... ...thinking we were very smart... ...with our big tractors
and large quantities of chemicals... ...and all sorts of pesticides. We thought that was the way
to solve everything. That's how it was done.
Here and in the rest of the world. Time has shown us we were wrong. At first the yields were bigger. After that more and more money
had to be invested. And now more money has to be put
into the ground than comes out of it. This has resulted in less and less
agriculture. Just look at this whole area. On these 25 hectares
we carry out our project. But there are thousands of hectares
that are not used at all. Maybe a shepherd herds his cattle
there. But what you also see,
and that's much more poignant... ...is that the land is ploughed
from time to time... ...to be eligible for EU subsidies. I arrived here 14 to 15 years ago. This whole area,
up to the shrubs over there... ...was overgrown. I cut everything down and now I've been
ploughing it for some time. That's all we're doing. The young people are not interested. And it costs a lot of money as well. A tractor like this one
is about 70,000 euros. And with all the other stuff you need
you have to dish out loads of cash. You really need to invest a lot. The fields are owned by the villagers. So, here I have the fields
of 50 to 60 owners. There are no large landowners here. These fields never yield a lot. The only way to benefit from a large
piece of land is by EU hand-outs. Because the produce alone
is not enough to survive on. You survive because the EU is handing
out money. In Spain you see a combination
of failing water management... ...and several political measures... ...that make it more profitable for farmers
to let their land go to waste. The people we need,
the smart ones, the good ones... ...and they are there in Spain,
and great institutions... ...have to work together on the land
in order to prepare it for the next step. To make the social and natural
returns possible. For that you need inspirational return. The inspiration of people
who look out from their tunnel... ...and say:
We're going to do things differently. After the erosion
the people moved away. Before, there were no trees here. This village didn't exist
nor did the forest. They evolved gradually. There was only sand.
No forest, no trees. Nothing at all. I started in 1979... ...when the Brahmaputra overflowed. In the summer months of June and July
it was so hot... ...that the snakes in the sand all died. I was afraid that the people, like the
snakes, would perish in the heat. When my beloved snakes died
I asked the elders: All the snakes have died. What can
we do? How can we save them? They said: Go and plant trees. 'What kind of trees?'
Bamboo, they said. But apart from the bamboo I planted
other trees, a complete forest. I wanted to make the land greener
so I planted more trees. Nature gave me a hand. Seeds fell into the Brahmaputra river. When it overflows, it spreads the seeds. So it helps me too. And the God of the winds helps me.
When the kapok tree bears kapok... ...it will fly away and spread.
So there'll be new kapok trees. People only know
how to cut down trees. After having done this for years,
I saw the tiger. The rhino came, the birds came... ...the snakes and the peacocks. They all gave me knowledge
and helped me. The villagers have cattle
and are making money that way. And for some people the plum trees... ...yield 40,000 to 50,000 rupees
in three months. So it's very profitable. And the cotton of the Shimul trees
is worth some 150 rupees per kilo. This way the people earn money
from what the forest gives them. If the forest wasn't here,
it would not have been possible. Everyone is dependent on this forest. I don't need the forest myself.
I created it for the people. I didn't do it for the money. It's not what the land does for me
but what I can do for the land. That's why I planted this forest. Over there were sandbanks. Since a few months those new trees
have been growing there. There aren't many, but when the trees
grow tall, they'll make a forest. My dream is for Assam and India
to become green. I don't have my own future in mind... ...but when the land has become green,
that's my future. During the time I've got left,
I want to make it greener. But I can't do it alone. If we can teach the young generation,
they'll be able to take over. In one year many, many children
in India were admitted... ...to primary schools. They must learn that trees need to grow
undisturbed for five years. Only then they'll pass their exams. In the coming five years
they'll need to plant two trees... ...and give the oxygen they produce
to the world. That's what all the world should do. Then no one wants to cut down trees
anymore. They won't allow people to kill animals
and they won't let the birds die. This will make the whole world greener. It must be done now,
it's the only way. Globally, 2 billion hectares of soil
are degraded... ...and we haven't even mentioned
marine systems. We mainly see this in places
where precipitation is low. The corn belt in the USA, several places
in Central and South America... ...areas here, where there are
huge areas of monocultures. All of the Middle East and the
Mediterranean area... ...and continuing into Central Asia
and India... ...with the Brahmaputra
and the Himalayas. Australia, that has to deal
with invasive animal species. And several places in Africa. So it's a big problem,
as is the opportunity to tackle it... ...and the opportunity
for businesses to invest. Money from governments and charities
is absolutely inadequate. So it's a great challenge
for a new economy. We planted the fields
after we had spread our compost. Every year we grew different crops... ...and after five years we had
succeeded in turning the desert soil... ...into a green farm
with organic agriculture. The soil changed from sand
into fertile soil... ...with more and more organic matter,
season after season, year after year. Then it's time to change our crops. In the first year we select specific
plants. The year after we take different kinds
and we do the same the third year. This lemon grass you see was
impossible to grow in the first year. But now the soil is ready... ...because it holds more organic matter. We now plant crops with bigger yields. Our farm is important for the village
of Harra which is close-by. When we first came here,
there was a lot of unemployment. We created new jobs for the people. Most of our work force
comes from the village. They have a better income now. So, reclaiming desert soil... ...is definitely a good way
to make the soil fertile. It's the only way. It's better
than importing food from abroad. We have a great area of desert in Egypt. In the western desert
there's a lot of water underground. It'll improve the social situation
and employment... ...and thus will solve not only
our fertility problem... ...but it'll provide jobs for the young
who can't find work elsewhere. Back up this way. The roots are deeply embedded. And as you see, there are fungi too. The roots and the fungi have formed
a mycorrhiza. It means that in this piece of land
down to this depth... ...the roots and the fungi
will act as one ecosystem. If this project develops any further... ...and becomes a success... ...also because we have more
of this type of soil... ...we might get bigger yields. What to do?
Take action, I think. Stop what you were doing,
change the way you work... ...and take matters into your own
hands so it all restores quickly. We must have a restoration economy
and Pedro, SEKEM and Yadav... ...have been doing this,
and for quite some time. And they have a clear picture of it. They have experience in the field. And we can put their experience
in a larger framework... ...and build the industry together. And the trick is to establish it
on a political and national level... ...so that Spain can be a model
of what I call a restoration industry. In my view that's what the four returns
are all about: To move from a degradation industry
to a restoration industry. I think everything and everyone
are part of the whole system. In nature all things belong together. If all the little insects in the soil
and in the grass survive... ...then everything survives. If they die, everyone dies... ...and so does nature.
That's why we have to do this. The earth doesn't belong to us. We're allowed to live here for a while. We don't have the right
to burden the next generations... ...with deserts.
!ping ECO
Make sure to turn captions on, and feel free to watch this segment until 29:30. This is a portion of an interesting documentary from 2014 talking about the importance of biodiversity in agriculture, especially in the drier regions of the world, such as Spain, Egypt and India.
As is well known amongst European farmers and conservationists alike, the EU's Common Agricultural Policy not only acts as a large-scale subsidy for farmers across the EU, but like all agricultural subsidies, it is largely broad in its usage and has been causing extreme environmental degradation.
Spain has been seeing a dramatic decline in its agricultural industry over the past several decades, with the total land used in Spain for crops having declined massively from 33 million hectares in 1961 to 26 million today, a drop of 21%. Yet in many of the poorer regions, EU subsidies incentivise farmers to retain their properties and hire individuals to "plough" their empty and unused fields, causing massive biodiversity loss and soil erosion. Despite their lands no longer being suitable or financially viable as farmland.
If you're interested in biodiversity and agriculture in general, I highly recommend you all go check out the whole documentary, but this whole portion of it was quite surprising to watch.
I'm dutch and a video from a dutch public broadcast service isn't available in my country wtf
!ping tacotube
Subsidies and protectionism in general can not only often hurt the enviroment (keeping coal alive etc.) but also are bad for the consumers since they are expensive and keep better competition from taking over. It's having captitalism but intentionally weakening its benefits for consumers so that "jobs don't get lost".
VPRO (“Liberal Protestant Radio Broadcaster”) is the TV channel of the progressive liberal ‘pillar’ in Netherlands, their national broadcaster has multiple subchannels by ideology for historical reasons
No relation to this video, it’s just something I find fascinating
Collective Farms for the win