"Could the prairie, which runs on sunlight and rain, be the model for the perfect farm? This program explores natural systems agriculture, or perennial polyculture, an alternative to industrial agriculture, and agro-forestry that combines cutting-edge science with nature itself. Dr. Wes Jackson, a MacArthur Fellow and founder of the Land Institute, illustrates these concepts in action, discussing the environmental and economic advantages of perennials -- rather than annuals--grown in a mixture that mimics the prairie ecosystem. John Todd, a designer of ecological technologies, leads a tour of one of his "living machines" used to clean sewage water."--cover.

DVD