Whereas Rainmakers I showed the start of Justdiggit’s projects in Kenya and the necessity of it, Seeds of Change shows the progress made and how regreening benefits all. In this documentary, we follow the Maasai people in their day-to-day life providing for and protecting their sacred land. Maasai are a group that moves with the season as well as with the rain that can sustain their land, with a delay in rainfall and more water than cannot be sustained by the fertile topsoil, the community is affected in many aspects of their daily life, from livestock to production and livelihood. We also follow the story of how a land that once was prosperous and healthy, with strong vegetation, many trees, and healthy cattle has become dry and degraded. Drought seasons have prolonged, the livestock has gotten smaller, and the green lands have turned into red deserts. With an increase in population on a land that becomes more degraded by the day, the community must enforce a change that does not just benefit themselves, but also the biodiversity and climate. With time, many new issues with climate change and the overheating of earth have taken up more space and the Maasai are trying to grapple this by bringing about more awareness to the issue whilst seeking new solutions to combat the negative spiral. To restore the degraded land, Justdiggit implements large-scale landscape restoration projects, forming a Hydrologic Corridor. These projects not only have an impact on the ground but also on the climate.
The documentary explains the idea of the Hydrologic Corridor, which came about from working with the Maasai and looking at their landscape, as well as the changes that needed to be made to sustain fertilized land. The documentary shows that just by using a simple shovel, one can start the change needed to regreen the earth and support the biodiversity and community that occupies it. Short term, the impact of the projects have an effect on the communities and the environment surrounding them. However, the projects also aim to have a larger climatic impact, which is more difficult to seize in the present day but will eventually build on a change that not only is durable but also fundamental for a sustainable life on this earth. The projects also support women by creating more ‘seats at the table’ where women get to have a say in the projects and the opportunity to provide for themselves and their family, as well as their land and community. Justdiggit tries to combine ancient methods from the Maasai with new technologies into concepts that showcase how we collectively can improve the efficiency of digging in, for a greener tomorrow.
