The Need to Grow: A Review

There is no shortage of documentaries about the food industry. From genetically modified organisms to
how meat is processed, creative advocates have been bringing some of the problems that these
industries have created to the people’s attention for decades. And while most of these films does merely
just that, others take a more admirable approach in the form of proposing some solutions on top of
those problems.

Ryan Wirick’s The Need to Grow is the latter. Wirick’s documentary is a beautifully shot film that focuses
on the importance of soil in relation to food production. It does a great job easing the viewer in into the
complicatedtechnical science of mycology, soil regeneration, and other sustainable agricultural practices
and technologies, like composting or localized farming, among others.

But the highlight of the documentary is not its advocacy nor its aesthetic , but rather, the courageous
innovators and disruptors that it aptly focuses on.

As mentioned, tThe film does offers possible solutions to the problems they showcreated by
conventional farming . And the way it does this is by showingfeaturing some interesting personalities
actively involved in the traditional and regenerative farming movement. theThese industry experts that
are working towards new and disruptive technologies that may help alleviate the problem, if not fix it
altogether.

One of those personalities is Michael Smith, a software engineer who developed a closed-loop
bioreactor system called the Green Power House or, the “Dragon,”, as they call it in the film. The Dragon
works by using a state-of-the-art thermal decomposition process to create what most know as biochar.

The beauty of this process is that the waste or byproduct resulting from this thermal decomposition is
used as energy, which then powers the buildings adjacent to the Dragon. Smith even claims that the
energy produced is also enough to power at least a hundred homes.

The film explains this better, of course, and Wirick wisely devotes ample time for Smith and his
innovative project for the viewers to take in and enjoy. Smith’s fascinating story, as well as that behind
his invention and its eventual fate undoubtedly makes the entire film worth a watch. We could even go
as far as to say that Smith, himself, his “Dragon” could be the subject of a separate documentary. But,
for now, Wirick’s work does the job and does it well.

By far the only possible downside about this documentary that is worth mentioning is its tendency to be
extreme and, in some portions, conspiratorial. For instance, the film boldly claims that “agriculture is the
most destructive human activity on the planet”, which is an interesting take, especially for a topic that is
ridden with political and societal ambiguities.

The film also tends to jump into a sinister or intriguing tone every now and then, which may be an
attempt to maintain interest from the viewer or, alternatively, to further drive its call to action. This is
something that it does not need, however. Instead, it should have focused more on drawing positive
feelings from stories of the people shown in the film.
A good mindset to have when approaching this documentary is to simply take and absorb it as a source
of inspiration for yourself. The film offers a lot of foundational knowledge about various sustainable and
innovative agricultural practices that you, yourself, can implement locally or, at the very least, study and
read more on.

Holding this mindset also gives meaning to the title of the film, too. The need to grow does not refer to
the industry or to general society, but to individuals. And in this pursuit to grow, Wirick’s film can be
your fertilizer.