Stream now with KPBS+ / Watch Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV
"Prairie Prophecy" explores a revolutionary way of thinking about agriculture—one rooted in nature, resilience, and long-term stewardship of the land. Drawing on the ideas of scientist-farmer Wes Jackson and the work of The Land Institute, the film examines how perennial and natural systems agriculture offer practical responses to soil loss, climate change, and the future of food.
Blending clear-eyed science with personal stories, archival material, and evocative prairie imagery, the film moves fluidly between big ideas and lived experience. Moments of insight, candor, and dry humor bring warmth and accessibility to complex questions, while the visual rhythm of the landscape provides a quiet but compelling narrative throughline.
Thoughtful, visually rich, and inviting, "Prairie Prophecy" encourages viewers to engage with sustainability not as an abstraction, but as a human-scale story with real-world relevance.
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About: Wes Jackson is a plant geneticist, author, and co-founder of The Land Institute, where he served as president for over four decades. His work focuses on developing “natural systems agriculture”—farming methods modeled on the resilience and diversity of prairie ecosystems. A MacArthur Fellow and recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, Jackson has been a central figure in the global movement toward sustainable agriculture, advocating for perennial crops that can restore soil, reduce erosion, and align human systems with the logic of nature.
