In the Last unit of Food for Thought, we had to learn about Designed a farm using an organic agriculture model, Interviewed farmers at a local farmers market and Envisioned the future of food and agriculture, using the Beehive Collective as inspiration. We learned about identifying the 4 moments in agriculture history. I am proud of putting together a poster about the 4 units and making it a drawing and incorporating color and drew different views we predict the future would be like.
Here is my Artist Statement:
My poster explains how the food culture has evolved over time, how it impacts the food we eat, and how we can make things better. The first panel, Life, shows history, origin and time. Long ago, pilgrims kept their farms healthy by rotating the plants and animals and growing a wide variety of food. The farms were small and the food was grown very close to where it was eaten. The second panel, Death, shows our new modern production, processes, and travel. Food is now grown on really big farms and feed lots that are very far from where it is eaten. The food is also highly processed in factories. The factories pollute the air. Doritos for example, are made from processed chemicals, put into a bag, and then the truck drives them very far to deliver them and pollutes the air. The mountain’s remind me of climate change caused by the extra pollution wondering your way. The third panel, Decay, shows slaughter, health, and a factory. The pesticides and fertilizers used by big farms ruin the soil and put poison in our water and we waste energy and pollute our air to deliver the food far away. The slaughterhouse is slaughtering cows and turning them into meat and then transporting it to a market to be sold and eaten. The black water is so polluted it needs to be cleaned out. The last panel shows Birth, farming, and imagine. The farmers I talked to said, “We must return to the old ways of growing food. We need lots of small farms that grow food and raise animals close to where it is eaten. We must use sustainable methods like: composting, crop and animal rotation and no pesticides.” If we do this, our soil and water will become cleaner, stronger, and there will be less pollution. I imagine that more and more people will start small farms that are closer to big cities. These farms will organic use: 1 organic composting, 2 crop and animal rotation methods, and 3 will not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers. I also believe that the people in the cites will start to want food that is produced this way.