The Hands that Feed Us has a website!
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 … WE’RE LIVE!
This is The Hands that Feed Us, coming to you live from www.thehandsthatfeedus.ca!
Our project now has a website with an overview of the project and our plan for getting there. It’s early days yet, but by the time the documentary is complete is launched the site will be a wealth of resources and research, as well as a place to find screenings and coordinate our advocacy campaign.
In the meantime … I’ve been writing about some of the insights I’ve had while researching:
Here’s an insight I had about how the way we finance food businesses works against farmers:
…Not a bad model, I suppose, but a world away from the businesses that farmers run. A successful farm doesn’t invent a new product. A successful farm sells its food for more that it costs to grow it.
And here I dive into what a healthy business environment for farmers looks like … this is what we need to build!
We want a multitude of food businesses — seed growers, fertilizer companies, food processors, and distributors — all growing side-by-side in healthy competition, with no one company dominating and crowding out the others.
See The Hands that Feed Us: Amara Farm in person, April 25th
Most of you have had a chance to see the short documentary I made featuring Arzeena Hamir of Amara Farm.
If you haven’t — or if you know people who haven’t — the film will get a live screening as part of the upcoming Cineworks Showcase on April 25th at 7PM. Cineworks is a member-based film society, so you’ll have to sign up to get in, but the tickets come for the great price of FREE!
Free Screening: The Hands that Feed Us: Amara Farm
Cineworks
1131 Howe St.
Vancouver, B.C.
April 25, 2018
7PM
I’ll be doing a Q&A session as part of the screening to talk about why I made the film, and what the goals are for the bigger project.
If you have a free Wednesday evening, I’d love to see you there! RSVP: devon@thehandsthatfeedus.ca
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1799226403718850
What’s next?
More research. I’ve been digging deep into the economics of farming for the past month or two. This has generated a huge volume of reading, so it’s time to start narrowing scope and focusing in on the core message. So far, I’ve generated 150+ papers and reports to read, 50+ academics and experts to contact, and 75+ potential sponsors and campaign partners.
I’m also working my way through about 30 other food-related documentaries to see what has already been done.
Next month, I’ll be focusing in on some specific research questions. Many of these I can already answer in general terms, but I’m looking for specific, citable research that can form the basis for solid, evidence-based policy change. Here’s some of my questions:
- What changed (back around 1980) that made farming so financially fraught in the first place?
- Did things start to get better again recently (around 2013?) What changed, and which farmers are doing better?
- What is the history of policy support for farmers? Why hasn’t it worked, and what policy do we think can work?
How can I help?
- Bring a friend to the screening of The Hands that Feed Us: Amara Farm on April 25th.
- Send feedback on my blog posts. The blog is where I’m organizing my thoughts about what will ultimately become the film and the campaign, so constructive criticism and suggestions will make this project all the more powerful in the end.
- Send me your real-life stories that reflect the ideas in this project. The power of this project comes from showing people how the ideas we are talking about are connected to real people and real farmers.