Just watched an excellent documentary about peak oil and it’s implications for the future of farming in the UK. It is the first I’ve seen of it’s kind to be shown on TV and hopefully it leads the way for many more as we begin to wake up to the coming crisis.

Presented by Rebecca Hosking it goes through all the key points in a clear and concise way, opening with the lines,

“An approaching energy crisis will likely force a revolution in farming that will change the British countryside forever. It will effect what we eat, where it comes from and even the alarming question of whether there will be enough food to keep us fed.”

From an interview with a geologist comes the conclusion that what matters is not the exact timing of the peak, but that whether it is in 1, 5 or 10 years there will be a peak in the production of oil after which oil will become more difficult to extract, more expensive and that this will have huge implications for every aspect of our lives.

She uses a simple example of a ham sandwich. The oil needed to power the tractors to plough the wheat fields, plant the seeds and harvest the grain and the petrol based fertilisers that helps it grow. Then on to the meat, with a single pig consuming nearly half a ton of grain it is even more energy hungry. Even the small pieces of salad are currently highly dependent on oil, whether because they are shipped from abroad or grown here in heated green houses before being transported around the country in lorries. She sums it all up perfectly with a great quote that says exactly what it is hard for people to see, “this sandwich, like so much of the food we eat today, is absolutely dripping in oil”

But what’s great about the film is that it’s not all doom and gloom. There are lots of people who have recognised this problem and are working in inspirational ways that offer an alternative for the future.

She visits the Dixons in Snowdonia, who run a small holding based on permaculture principles, and an experimental forest garden in Devon ran by Martin Crawford that just looks incredible.

There’s also Fordhall Farm an organic beef, pork and sheep farm that relies on the quality of it’s soil and grass rather than chemicals to feed the animals. This includes one of the saddest parts of the film. A clip of a film from the 80s of a tractor plouging a field followed by flocks of birds draw to the unearthed worms and wildlife is compared to a shot of a tractor on the same land now – nothing ,no birds, no worms, the soil is dead, surviving to grow now only with the aid of chemical fertilisers. Makes you realise what we’ve done.

All in all it’s a brilliant film. It’s powerful introduction for people who might not know about the issues of peak oil and food security, but also an inspirational piece for anyone already aware of the issues that shows what can be done. Highly recommended. Watch it here.

For more on peak oil watch the film ‘The End of Suburbia’ and for more information on the transition from an oil based society see Transition Culture.