On Thursday 6th June Alscot Estate invited guests to a private screening of the documentary film, Six Inches of Soil. The film tells the inspiring story of three young British farmers standing up against the industrial food system and transforming the way they produce food - to heal the soil, our health and provide for local communities. The screening took place at Everyman, Stratford upon Avon and included a drinks reception, introduction to the film by Colin Ramsay, Film Director, and a Q&A session. The panel included, Colin Ramsay, Emma Holman-West, Estate Owner, Paddy Hoare and Tom Gurney, Perdix Partnership and Simon Cutter, Farmer and Founder of Model Farm Society. Simon began rearing organic livestock and organic produce long before the ‘Organic bandwagon’ started to roll in the wake of the BSE crisis in the early 1990’s. Featuring on BBC Country file, Simon has been a pioneer in pasture fed, organic and free-range livestock with a passion for nature and natural food produce.
Six Inches of Soil follows three young farmers on the first year of their regenerative journey - Anna Jackson, a Lincolnshire 11th generation arable and sheep farmer; Adrienne Gordon, a Cambridgeshire small-scale vegetable farmer; and Ben Thomas, who rears pasture fed beef cattle in Cornwall. As the trio strive to adopt regenerative practices and create viable businesses, they meet seasoned mentors who help them on their journey. They are joined by other experts providing wisdom and solutions from a growing movement of people who are dedicated to changing the trajectory for food, farming, and the planet.
The future of farming at Alscot is changing, this is in response to a resolution to combat climate change and the nature and health crisis. Estate Owner, Emma Holman-West believes that landowners have an obligation to contribute to this in a significant and positive manner. Over the years Alscot has taken an opportunity to investigate and implement farming and land-based strategies and processes that will help secure the future of both the Estate and the environment. Alscot was undoubtably pioneering, launching the first private Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) site in England in April 2020, before BNG was later passed by Government as mandatory in 2024. Following the success of BNG at Alscot, and witnessing first hand the improvement in nature that has occurred over four years, and being aware that conventional farming methods over the years have been hugely detrimental to soil structure and the environment, regenerative farming is naturally the next rung on the ladder, and soil health sits at the core.
The private screening was arranged to introduce the Estate’s regenerative farming ambitions to the Alscot community. The audience of eighty-five included members of the local parish council, district council, local farmers, and land managers. Emma commented “I was lucky enough to see the film a couple of months ago and it was clear that there is direct constructive collaboration between our long-term goals in respect of soil health and combating climate change issues, and the ambitions of the three young farmers. Apart from their inspiring journeys, the film explains soil health and the knock-on effect, in a noticeably clear and simple way. The film is thought provoking and emotional, and it is important that people have discussions at a local level to find ways to move forward to create profitable food systems that benefit the community, whilst looking after our soil and the environment at the same time. If everyone goes away and makes just one small change, that makes it worthwhile.”
According to the film, food production in Britain is now controlled by a handful of supermarket retailers and food processing companies. As a society we’ve become so disconnected from the way in which our food is produced, packaged and transported. Most of us seem happy with the ‘choice’, ‘convenience’ and ‘good value’ that supermarkets seem to offer. We are also addicted to ultra-processed food, that is contributing to an unfolding public health crisis.
Simon Cutter, practicing organic farmer, and founder member and director of the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association to become an Approved Supplier said “it’s so important that people understand the environmental impact of these integral systems which deliver multiple benefits for society, nature, and animal welfare. This film explains the benefits, and highlights the negatives of conventional farming methods, in a simple format. By producing and consuming healthier food, we are positively contributing to our well-being and the world’s health crisis.”
Paddy Hoare, whose passion and knowledge for regenerative and sustainable farming systems and conservation schemes is abundant, is assisting the Estate in the environmental land management processes and practices. Paddy commented “being an environmental farming enthusiast, I was delighted to share the positive messages in the film to help shift UK food and farming towards more regenerative, agroecological practices for a more resilient system. The Q&A encouraged guests to share their thoughts openly and we had a valuable and meaningful discussion.”
See the Q&A video
Read more about the film - Six Inches of Soil
