IT IS LIKE A LITTLE EDEN.
SWIRLING ORCHARDS OF LEMON,
AVOCADO, APRICOT, AND DOZENS OF
OTHER FRUIT TREES.
ROWS OF ORGANIC VEGETABLES.
SHEEP AND LAMBS, A COUPLE WEEKS
OLD.
PIGS BEING PIGS.
A FEW CATTLE AND MORE THAN A FEW
CHICKENS ROAMING FREE.
THIS IS APRICOT LANE FARMS.
JOHN CHESTER AND HIS WIFE MOLLY
ARE THE OWNERS.
>> WE GROW 80 DIFFERENT TYPES OF
ORCHARD TREES.
VAL: 80?
JOHN: AND ABOUT 200 OTHER CROPS.
VAL: NO PESTICIDES, NO
HERBICIDES.
THIS FARM GOES BEYOND ORGANIC.
WHEN THE COVER CROPS IN THE
ORCHARD GET TOO TALL, THESE GUYS
WILL TAKE CARE OF IT IN A DAY,
LEAVING SOMETHING BEHIND IN
NATURAL FERTILIZER.
THE CHICKENS ARE ABOUT MORE THAN
EGGS.
JOHN: THE KEEP THE FLY
POPULATION DOWN.
THEY HELP TO BREAK UP THE
MANEUVER PILES THAT ARE LEFT
BEHIND.
VAL: THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IS
NOT THE ANIMALS, THE VEGETABLES,
OR THE ORCHARDS.
IT IS THE SOIL.
JOHN: YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENT
ROOT STRUCTURE AND WARMS.
THE FEROCITY OF THIS SOIL.
AND YOU CAN SMELL IT.
VAL: SO FRESH.
JOHN: THE SOIL IS THE GRAND
WELCOME EYES ARE. -- ALCHEMIST.
IT TURNS THE DEAD THINGS BACK
INTO LIFE.
SOIL SCIENTISTS DO NOT EVEN
FULLY UNDERSTAND THE
COMPLEXITIES.
VAL: APRICOT LANE FARMS HAS
CHURNED DRY DIRT INTO THE MOST
HEALTHY SOIL IN CALIFORNIA.
JOHN: THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
FOR HEALTHY SOIL IS ORGANIC
MATTER.
IT IS THIS LITTLE PLANT HERE AND
THE ROOT OF THE PLANT.
THIS LEAF, THIS BROKEN STICK.
WHEN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT SOIL
HERE, YOU CAN SEE WHAT IS
STARTING TO HAPPEN.
VAL: IT IS A NET OF ORGANIC
MATERIAL.
JOHN: THIS WAS TRAMPLED BY THE
SHEEP THREE MONTHS AGO.
VAL: SHEEP WERE HERE?
JOHN: YEAH, AND THIS IS THE
GRASS TRAMPLED BY THE SHEEP SIX
MONTHS AGO.
YOU CAN SEE IT IS TURNING BACK
INTO DIRT, OR SOIL.
IT IS BUILT FROM THE TOP DOWN.
THAT IS WHAT WE WANT.
VAL: IT IS CALLED REGENERATIVE
FARMING.
QUESTIONNAIRE FARMING IN A WAY
THAT ALLOWS THE SYSTEM TO
REGENERATE ITSELF.
>> SINCE INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE
BEGAN IN THE 1950'S, OUR SOIL
HAS BEEN DRAMATICALLY DEPLETED.
WITH NATURAL RETREATS LOST, THE
SOIL HAS TO BE TREATED WITH
PESTICIDES.
SCIENTISTS HAVE FOUND OUR SOIL
CONTAINS FEWER NUTRIENTS TODAY
THAN A FEW DECADES AGO.
THEY WARN THE SOIL WILL NOT
PRODUCE ENOUGH FOOD FOR A
GROWING NATION, UNLESS WE ALLOW
OUR SOIL TO RECOVER AND
REPLENISH ITSELF.
THAT IS WHAT WE DO HERE.
JOHN: OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE A
SELF-CONTAINED ECOSYSTEM THAT
DOES NOT REQUIRE US TO BRING IN
OUTSIDE INPUT TO GROW FOOD.
VAL: THE DIFFERENCE IS VISIBLE.
THE GROUND IS FULL OF
WILDFLOWERS. GRASSES, EVEN
WEEDS.
COMPARED TO THE FAMILIAR ORCHARD
WITH NOTHING BUT BARE GROUND
BETWEEN THE TREES.
JOHN: WE HAVE NITROGEN OUT OF
THE ATMOSPHERE.
THAT IS NITROGEN FERTILIZER FOR
US.
IF YOU HAVE BEES, YOU HAVE TO
HAVE THINGS TO FEED THEM.
HAVING POLLINATED FOOD IS
IMPORTANT.
SOME PEOPLE COME OUT HERE WHO
RUN ORCHARDS AND MORE
CONVENTIONAL WAYS.
THEY THINK THAT IT LOOKS LIKE
NEGLECT, BUT THIS IS THE IDEA OF
HOW YOU BUILD SOIL.
VAL: MANY BIG FARMS USE
MONOCULTURE, GROWING A SINGLE
CROP OVER HUNDREDS OF ACRES.
THOSE 80 TYPES OF FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES ARE GROWN ON 230
ACRES.
THE ECOSYSTEM IS INTERWOVEN WITH
DIVERSITY.
IF THIS WERE NOT ENOUGH, RICH,
HEALTHY SOIL CAN HELP WITH ONE
OF THE BIGGEST ECOLOGICAL
CHALLENGES FACING OUR PLANET --
GLOBAL WARMING.
♪ ♪
VAL: TO UNDERSTAND HOW SOIL CAN
DO THIS, I VISITED UC IRVINE'S
ARBORETUM.
THAT IS WHERE I MET STEVEN
ELLISON, A PROFESSOR OF EARTH
SCIENCE.
>> IF YOU LOOK DEEPER DOWN, WE
START TO SEE DIFFERENT
STRUCTURE.
UNDER THE SURFACE, WE FIND MORE
ORGANIC MATERIALS.
THESE DECOMPOSING PIECES OF
ORGANIC MATTER.
AS THEY BREAK DOWN, IT ADDS
CARBON TO THE SOIL.
VAL: DURING PHOTOSYNTHESIS,
PLANTS DRAW CARBON DIOXIDE OUT
OF THE AIR.
THE CARBON HELPS THE PLANTS GROW
AND BLOOM.
IF THE CYCLE CONTINUES THE
PLANTS WILL BUY AND DECAY AND
BECOME PART OF THE SOIL.
THAT CARBON WILL ALSO GO INTO
THE SOIL.
IF IT IS UNDISTURBED, THE SOIL
CAN STORE IT FOR HUNDREDS OF
YEARS.
MORE CARBON IN THE GROUND MEANS
LESS CARBON DIOXIDE.
>> THE SOIL MAY HAVE CARBON THAT
IS 100 TO 200 YEARS OLD.
VAL: WHEN WE TILL OR PLOW THE
SOIL, ALL OF THE CARBON IS PUT
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE WHERE IT
CONTRIBUTES TO GLOBAL WARMING.
>> THE WAY TO PREVENT RUNAWAY
CLIMATE CHANGE IS TO STORE MORE
CARBON IN THE SOIL.
SMARTER SOIL MANAGEMENT SHOULD
BE A PRIORITY BECAUSE OF THE
BENEFIT IT CAN HAVE FOR
SOCIETIES, FARMERS, AND CLIMATE
ADVOCATES.
NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS KNOWLEDGE,
I THINK THAT IS POTENTIALLY THE
FUTURE OF FARMING IN OUR COUNTRY
AND THE WORLD.
VAL: WHY DO WE STILL FARM THE
WAY WE DO?
INDUSTRIAL FARMING FEEDS
BILLIONS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE
GLOBE CHEAPLY.
>> THE PROBLEM WITH FOOD BEING
CHEAP IS IT COMES AT THE EXPENSE
OF SOMETHING.
IN THIS CASE, IT COMES AT THE
EXPENSE OF SOIL. IN ORDER TO
CREATE CHEAP FOOD, WE HAVE
DEPLETED THE BANK
VAL: HE SAYS THEY ARE FULFILLING
MARKET DEMAND.
>> IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO PUT
THE RESPONSIBILITY ON
CONVENTIONAL FARMERS.
THEY ARE RESPONDING TO THE
CONSUMER DESIRE TO PAY TWO
DOLLARS FOR A DOZEN EGGS.
PIECES CONSUMERS CAN BE THE BEST
AGENTS OF CHANGE.
>> IF WE WANT FOOD THAT GROWS IN
A HEALTHY WAY THAT TAKES INTO
CONSIDERATION THE ECOSYSTEM, WE
HAVE TO BE WILLING TO PAY MORE
FOR FOOD.
VAL: PRODUCE FROM APRICOT LANES
FARMS IS MORE EXPENSIVE AND JOHN
REALIZES THAT NOT EVERYONE CAN
AFFORD A THREE DOLLAR AVOCADO.
AMEND FOR THEIR PRODUCE --
DEMAND IS HIGH AND EVERY SEASON
THEY SELL OUT.
>> WE ARE REALIZING THE
CONNECTION BETWEEN PEOPLE AND
FARMS.
IT HAS TO BE CARED FOR BEYOND
THE LABEL OF ORGANICS.
VAL: THIS FARMING ISN'T EASY.
THERE IS ENDLESS WORK FOR THE
CREW AND PLENTY OF PROBLEMS TO
SOLVE BUT JOHN AND MOLLY ARE IN
IT FOR THE LONG-HAUL, CREATING A
FARM THAT WILL FLOURISH FOR
THEMSELVES IN THE NEXT
GENERATION THAT IS ALREADY HERE.
I AM VAL ZAVALA FOR "SOCAL Connected."