Humankind’s relationship with food and with the Earth is one of the most fundamental, important, and indeed primordial relationships in the natural world. Yet for many of us, that bond has been broken.

Food on Earth is a 3-part documentary film in-progress about humankind’s relationship with food and the Earth, exploring the starkly opposed approaches of the industrial giants of agriculture versus small-scale, local, organic, and sustainable farming.

Until recently, the omnipresence of processed, slickly packaged food in our world existed without widespread questioning and served to create a great distance between us as consumers and our food production. But there are signs of change. Awareness about what we’re eating, how it’s produced, and who’s profiting from its production is increasing. Organic food is the fastest growing segment of the US food market. Genetically engineered crops are taboo in many parts of the world. Even in the US, fears are growing about the long-term impacts these new technologies.

As we stand on the verge of what some call a revolution in food production and what some call an impending disaster, Food on Earth will clarify the enormity of what’s at stake for the world’s people, the planet’s health and our legacy to future generations.

Through the eyes of farmers, activists, corporate representatives, government officials, and academics in the US, Europe and India, Food on Earth leads the viewer on a journey to understand how our current agricultural system works. It explores how we’ve arrived at that system, why we need to question it, and what the alternatives are. In the end, the viewer will have a clear picture of how their food consumption affects the world around them.

Through a rich visual tapestry of land and food, people and culture, stories and analysis, the viewer comes to understand how our relationship with food and land has been and is being eroded.

Director: David Kaplowitz
Country: UK
Length: 35 minutes