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Wendel Berry: Developing a Voice for Building an Alternative World
@Etcetera : I think it would be great to watch this film about thinker and writer Wendel Berry. He’s one of the best thinkers in this area.
https://twobirdsfilm.com/films/look-see-a-portrait-of-wendell-berry
Watch it and see how it impacts you. You may also want to watch this “making of” Q&A video.
Key things this MAY relate to:
- The role of journalism as a prophetic voice.
- Berry’s journey from “progress” to “affection” may be instructive to your own journey.
- A door way into Berry’s works which might be useful in developing your own non-fiction voice.
twobirdsfilm.com
Look & See - A Portrait of Wendell Berry (2017 ) — Two Birds Film
Available for Rent or Purchase. LOOK & SEE is a portrait of the world as lensed through the works of farmer, writer and activist Wendell Berry. Filmed across four seasons in and around Henry County, Kentucky.
2 Comments-
After watching the film and the Q&A these are my notes:
Farmers have been made debt slaves by forced industrialization.
Sustainable farming can be profitable but requires community.
The industrialization of farming has slimmed down the profit margins so far that the only way to turn a profit is to make the farm bigger.
The massive cost of equipment, fertilizer, control chemicals, and seed have put farmers in a situation where more than one bad crop in a row will force them to sell everything to cover their debts.
Many farmers were pressured into this style of farming by economic forces operating under the doctrine of “Get big or get out” Credited to Reagan administration.
In summary: Farming and Farmers are being crushed by economic pressures which continue to go unabated due to the lack of public awareness and compassion, towards the issue. A solution is to scale down the size of farms to support communities instead of demanding industrial production that leads to ecological destruction.
Q&A notes:
Use the existing networks of the people you’re interviewing to find more people to interview.
People have to care, their food comes from the farms, give them a connection so that can learn to care.
Berry Institute: Are working to teach farmers how to be profitable and sustainable.
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I was looking for links for the Berry Institute. I found two candidates: https://berrycenter.org/ (New Castle, KY) and https://www.berrycenterfarmandforest.org/ (Port Royal, KY). Wonder if there’s a story behind there being two of them with very similar mission.
