Javascript Menu by Deluxe-Menu.com

Bullfrog Films


610-779-8226; 800-543-3764; P.O. Box 149 Oley, PA 19547
Email ListRss Info
Bookmark and Share
Bullfrog Films

is a leading source of educational DVDs & videos, with a collection of over 700 titles in these main subject areas:

  Environment
  Globalization
  Sustainability
  Climate Change
  Social Justice
  Developing World
  Indigenous Peoples
  Earth Science
  Life Science
  Political Science
  Performing Arts
  Women’s Studies
  Children’s Films
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

QUICK LINKS
  Newsletter
  FAQ
  Facebook
  YouTube
  Twitter
  Instagram
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .

ORDER ONLINE
Our site enables you to order securely online with a credit card or purchase order, or you can use our printable order form for faxing or mailing.
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  Email



List

Receive occasional notice of our new releases and special offers. Your address won’t be traded or sold.



Big Spuds, Little Spuds

The impact of climate change and monoculture on one of the world's staple food crops.


A printer-friendly version of this page 52 minutes
Produced by Christoph Corves and Delia Castiñeira



BIG SPUDS, LITTLE SPUDS takes a close look at the potato to examine the effects of climate change and monoculture on one of the world's staple food crops. With half the planet's population dependent on rice, wheat, potatoes, and corn, to what extent are pests and disease - often exacerbated by climate change - threatening world food security?

The people of the Andes in Peru have raised more than 5,000 varieties of potatoes. During the Green Revolution of the 1960s they were urged to adopt a handful of new high-yielding varieties, that proved to be highly vulnerable to the harsh mountain weather, and to pests and diseases. The new varieties also require massive inputs of chemicals and water.

In 1997 El Nino had a dramatic impact on the climate both in Peru, and Idaho, home of the US potato industry. In Peru, El Nino brought drought and killer frosts to the highlands: in Idaho, it brought persistent rains. With the wet weather came the blight that caused the Irish potato famine. Idaho's potato farmers were totally unprepared.

The film looks at traditional methods of potato farming where Andean families grow their own varieties, practice crop rotation, and utilize a minimum of inputs. In sharp contrast is the industrial method of production used in Idaho, and increasingly in Peru, where just a few high-yielding varieties are grown, where soil fertility decreases, pesticides lose their effectiveness, and campesinos wind up working as laborers on their own land.

But there is a new pride in the old varieties of potatoes. People are documenting the characteristics of different varieties in an attempt to preserve genetic diversity, and with it perhaps world food security.



Grade Level: 9-12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 1999     Copyright Date: 1999
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-432-X     VHS ISBN: 1-56029-792-1




Reviews
"Gives a reasoned explanation both of the problem and its possible solution through reintroduction of traditional potato varieties requiring less in the way of fertilizers and pesticides."
Buzz Haugton, Shields Library, UC-Davis, MC Journal

"Our scientists felt that the video gave a good overview of the importance of biological diversity and associated knowledge."
Christine Graves, International Potato Center, Peru

"Excellent...make(s) a compelling case that action is urgently needed to respond to global change, above all climate change and declining biodiversity. The message about the value of local knowledge comes through clearly...I strongly believe we will only have governments act when their citizenry is well enough informed and pressing for action...A significant contribution. It is important (it) be widely viewed."
Gordon Smith, Director of the Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria

"The film successfully depicts the coping strategies for both the Peruvians and the Idahoans, placing the struggle of the individual farmers in the framework of larger global ecological, economic, and development issues...(S)uitable for use in classes on ecology, anthropology, globalization and agricultural development."
Alan Duben, Human Ecology


Select your institution type





Big Spuds, Little Spuds


"A significant contribution. It is important (it) be widely viewed." Gordon Smith, Director of the Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria

Awards and Festivals
Columbus International Film & Video Festival
Nordische Filmtage Lübeck
Inventur 6 - Filmschau Niedersachsen
Tage des unabhaengigen Films Osnabrück

Subjects
Agriculture
Anthropology
Biodiversity
Biotechnology
Climate Change/Global Warming
Ecology
Food Crops
Food Safety
Genetic Diversity
Genetics
Global Issues
Globalization
Humanities
Hunger
Latin American Studies
Peru
Potatoes
Science
Technology
Society

Social Psychology
Sociology
Sustainable Agriculture


Related Titles

The Great Gene Robbery

Seeds
Genetic diversity in the food supply.

Fragile Harvest
Biotechnology reduces the gene pool of the world's staple food crops.

Silent Sentinels
Was the unprecedented mass coral bleaching in 1998 proof of global warming?

Rising Waters
Shows that global warming is already hurting the Pacific Islands.

Everything's Cool
Examines the media strategies, on both sides, that have resulted in the US government's failure to take decisive action on global warming.

Weather Report
A report from the front lines of climate change in Kenya, India, Canada, the Arctic, China, and Montana where people's lives have already been dramatically altered.

Oil on Ice

Baked Alaska
Looks at the battle over the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in the context of Alaska's accelerated warming.

Cheat Neutral
Satirical look at the inadequacies of the concept of carbon offsetting.

Sowing for Need or Sowing for Greed?
The connection between multinational chemical companies and the foods they want us to eat.

Risky Business
A discussion-starter on genetically engineered plants and animals.

Field of Genes
The effects of the biotechnology revolution on farmers and consumers.

Beyond Organic
A model of community supported agriculture in the midst of suburban sprawl.


info@bullfrogfilms.com


Home | About Us | Subjects | Specials | Titles A - Z | New Releases | FAQ | Order Information | Contact

Website design by HYPERSPHERE.
Pages generated using Film Distribution Software™

Bullfrog & Bullfrog Films are registered trademarks of Bullfrog Films, Inc.
All photographs are protected by copyright. For permission to use,
and high resolution press stills, please contact Bullfrog Films.

©2009 Bullfrog Films, Inc. All rights reserved.