I Have Seen the Earth Change

Katsuo Sasaki grows rice in Miyagi Province, where the crop has a strong reputation. Unfortunately, he is becoming impoverished since never-before-seen insects have started to attack his crops. Katsuo wonders what nature can endure...and for how much longer...

A courageous and spirited Inuit woman, Ulaayu Pilurtuut lives in the heart of the Canadian Great North, where she teaches Inuktut—the language of her people. The melting of the ice shelf caused by global warming threatens the existence of hunting, the traditional activity of communities in the region. Ulaayu wants to help the local youth invent a new future without losing touch with their roots and their identity.

At the heart of the Valencia Huerta, Antonio Niguez worriedly watches the orange trees of his parcel wither away. This semi-arid region—a true garden in the southeast of Spain—suffers from a chronic lack of water, worsened by global warming. Despite an irrigation system that has been regulated for centuries by the "Water Tribunal" of Valencia, the threat of desertification looms. What must be done?

Manar Ezat is the first female professor specialized in fish farming in Egypt. She continually visits and advises the fish farmers along the Nile delta—including those who left their traditional farming activity to develop and live from this new agro-industry. As the sea expands over the delta, silt disappears and salinity in water and soil increases. About a third of the country's population is to be eventually affected; though farmers and fisherman are the first and main victims.

Gerarda Moralès is an Aymara Indian—like half the population of Bolivia—and the president of a self-help charity network in the la Paz region. Glaciers are the main source of water for the region, but they are now melting at an alarming rate. The whole balance of the region is under threat. The rural exodus must be halted and alternative water sources must be found as soon as possible.

Colleen Gregory (truck farmer, beekeeper, and sheep breeder) lives in the San Juan Islands, off the coast of Seattle, Washington. Fed up with the city and its ongoing activity, she moved into this paradisiacal spot twenty years ago to find nature. For her, it was a childhood dream-come-true; today, however, that dream is fading away...

In the North of Mali, Khissa lives along the banks of Lake Faguibine. A location erstwhile "blessed by Gods"...an area of exchange for nomad breeders, Sonrai farmers, and Bozo fishermen. However, during the Sahel drought, the lake suddenly dried out. Like many other Tuareg, Khissa lost everything, including his independence and his pride.

Lien Tran Thi Kim is an agronomist-forester in the center of Vietnam. Concerned about the increase in natural disasters, she has taken on a re-forestation mission in an effort to reduce their destructive effects.

For 38 years, Clem and Cheryle Hodges have lived as farmers in New South Wales. These past five years, they have suffered from an exceptionally long and severe drought. Global warming? The Hodges are skeptical. Will they try to survive and wait for better days, or will they—like other farmers—have to adapt their ways?

Global warming causes the icecap to melt which induces a rise in the sea level. This is a nightmare for the Dutch, since 60% of their territory lies below that very sea level. This concerns Oebele Wiedjik, who lives in a polder. This is a major concern for all farmers living in the Noordward polder—who know they are living on borrowed time and are facing difficult choices.