Why This Retired Farmer Plants Trees

Videos

Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, Spanish

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by Ecosia

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What it is

This video from Ecosia introduces students to Manuel, who is using regenerative agriculture practices to revitalize nature in his hometown in Spain.
Students will learn about topics including biodiversity, monocultures, deforestation, composting, and soil erosion.

Teaching tips

Positives

Farmer Manuel is inspiring and informative.
Although regenerative agriculture practices can be applied globally, this is a personal story about a man and his response to soil erosion in his hometown.

Prerequisites

The video is in Spanish with English subtitles.
There is an error in the translation at 4:15.

Differentiation & Implementation

History classes can use this video to discuss the effects of the Spanish Civil War.
In the description, there is a link to install a browser extension for Ecosia's search engine, which goes towards planting trees.
After watching this video, students can discuss the importance of regenerative farming and planting trees as a climate solution. The video Reforestation and Responsible Forest Management can help explain this topic.
Other resources on this topic include How Regenerative Farming Can Help Combat the Climate Crisis, Conventional Versus Ecological Farming, and How Regenerative Agriculture Curbs Climate Change.

From the scientist review

This resource is a 7-minute video consisting primarily of an interview with a Spanish farmer (speaking Spanish with English subtitles) and a regenerative agriculture practitioner. The farmer discusses the damage done to agricultural land due to poor land management and soil erosion and his strategies for regenerating the soil and improving agricultural sustainability for his almond trees. He discusses multiple strategies, but this resource focuses on the planting of trees. This resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, Spanish
Format: YouTube Video
Language: English, Spanish
Location: Europe
Provider: Ecosia
Authors: Ecosia
Published: April 27, 2021
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D2.Geo.11.6-8 + 6 more

Core

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D2.Geo.11.6-8Explain how the relationship between the environmental characteristics of places and production of goods influences the spatial patterns of world trade.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-ESS3-3.Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (ACTFL)

3.1Making Connections: Learners build, reinforce, and expand their knowledge of other disciplines while using the language to develop critical thinking and to solve problems creatively.

New Jersey Climate Education Hub

English Language Arts

SL.II.7.2Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.

Science

HS-LS2-2.Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.
HS-ESS3-3.Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among the management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.

World Languages

7.1.NM.IPRET.5:Demonstrate comprehension of brief oral and written messages found in short culturally authentic materials on global issues, including climate change.

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