Science on Screen: The Biggest Little Farm

THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM
John Chester, 2018, 91 min, USA, Documentary

What does it take to bring a dying piece of land back to life? The Biggest Little Farm follows John and Molly Chester as they leave Los Angeles behind and set out to transform 200 acres of depleted, drought-stricken land into a thriving and radically diverse farm. But nature has its own plans. As coyotes, snails, pests, predators, drought, and unexpected animal friendships complicate their vision, the Chesters discover that every problem is part of a larger, interconnected system.

Filmed over eight years, John Chester’s extraordinary documentary is both an intimate story of ambition and perseverance and a vivid lesson in the astonishing complexity of the natural world. What begins as an idealistic dream of living in harmony with nature becomes a humbling exploration of biodiversity, resilience, and the delicate balance that sustains all living things.