They found that this improved their economy, their happiness, and the health of the environment.
Industrial livestock farming is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect, contributing up to 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
However, not all farms are to be condemned.
There are also completely different forms of farming, which do not pollute, but rather do not cause climate change, use local resources, adapt perfectly to the environment, are based on small numbers and food quality, contribute to soil fertility and maintain biodiversity.
It is a model that was practiced in our countryside until fifty years ago, but has now almost disappeared.
And with it disappears a source of sustainable economy, of animal and human well-being, of the capacity for resilience and adaptability.
Zampe, uomini, radici is about this, and it's no coincidence that it features companies not far from greater Milan, where junk food and industrial food are the only mass-produced offerings.
These very farmers, who live next to those who house cows all of the same genetic strain, locked in reinforced concrete stables, fed transgenic feed, with a very short life cycle and requiring extensive medication, demonstrate that an alternative is possible.
If the consumption of animal products were based on products from this type of reality, there would be a clear advantage for consumers and the environment, the quality of what we eat would improve, and above all it would be possible to make a sustainable and small-scale economy a reality, the only one with a solid future.
Desiderio and Isabella, Federico, Luigi, Ottavio, Lino, and the shepherd from the upper Valstrona demonstrate this with the pride and certainty of those who, having tried the other system, would never go back: native cows, unlike the ubiquitous Friesian, live longer, give birth until the end of their lives, eat less, and produce less milk, which, however, has a higher fat content and a globule size that allows for a high cheese yield and a rich, full-bodied flavor.
There is a lot of evidence that family farming is economically profitable and provides well-being to both humans and animals, and our protagonists, together with their animals, tell everyone about it.
The film was selected at the Sicilia Ambiente 2018 Festival and at Agricorto 2019.