Exploration 6 Caitin Mashhadian

Caitlin Mashhadian
November 6, 2014

Fresh is a documentary that takes us on a direct route to viewing the foods we consume. Through this documentary you are introduced to conventional farmers, organic farmers, and activists. Will Allen is an urban farmer activist who I believe is making headway to healthier food. He quotes "Food is at the foundation, but it's really about life." I believe that Allen was conveying how in order to have a healthy life you must take in good quality food. The documentary microscopes how difficult it has become to consume healthy food. Our society has managed to create food desserts. Instead of finding fresh produce we are finding processed foods. Will Allen has taken an alternative route to provide efficient growing methods and teaching the community how they are capable of doing the same.

Will Allen is an urban farmer activist who's created an ingenious way of growing many different greens with limited space in a greenhouse inside a town of Milwaukee. Allen uses Aquaponics to propel his greenhouses. Aquaponics is the method of growing crops and fish together in a re-circulating system. In the Growing Power aquaponics model crops grow vertically on raised beds, thus saving space for other greens to grow. Not only does Allen introduce efficient systems but he also introduces people to  tours and learning about growing power.  During the tour you will see growing methods at work; including worms eating waste, fish fertilizing plants, and honeybees pollinating the neighborhood. Allen is an educator and allows the tours to be hands on learning experience.

Allen has created “From the Ground Up” Workshops. From the Ground Up Workshops are extensive hands-on trainings offering diverse groups the opportunity to learn, plan, develop, operate, and sustain community food projects. Project participants leave the workshop with improved skills that they can take back into their communities and pass on to others. These workshops are for both rural and urban projects. I believe that when people know how to do things on their own they can spread their knowledge along to others and create a better community and food source. 

During the documentary Naylor had said "...us conventional farmers put organic farmers on a pedestal..." I believe that they absolutely should. Locally grown food and organic farmers work harder to grow healthy food for their communities because it in turn benefits everyone in the long run.