THE LESSONS OF THE LOESS PLATEAU is a superb and fascinating 52-minute documentary about fixing poverty by restoring ecological function. The scene is north central China's loess plateau\, the cradle of Han civilization\, where centuries of poor agricultural methods had resulted in horrific soil erosion and persistent poverty. In the 1990s a project the size of Wallowa\, Union\, and Baker counties\, combining land reform with massive restoration and terracing of erodible slopes\, was initiated by the Chinese government with the cooperation of the World Bank. Filmmaker John Liu spent years documenting the project\, gaining a deep understanding of the underlying social and ecological realities\, and this carefully crafted and moving film is an engaging look at rural China in the midst of changes that few have heard about.
Those interested in climate change\, big government\, watershed restoration\, or desertification will find this a worthwhile film. Discussion afterwards hosted by Peter Donovan of the Soil Carbon Coalition.
Friday\, April 30\, 2010\, at 7 pm at the Coffin House (400 E. Grant\,
Enterprise\, Oregon). Free to the public.