Jo Ann Hardesty speaks to Barbara Bernstein, producer of the new documentary Gaining Ground.
GAINING GROUND presents the personal stories of farmers and activists confronting the challenges of feeding their local communities sustainably grown food. The documentary interweaves experiences of Urban Tilth’s farmer-activists transforming corners of Richmond, California’s inner city food desert into vibrant community gardens; Sun Gold Farm, a small family farm in rural Oregon converting from commodity dairy to sustainably grown produce and Stalford Seed Farms in the Willamette Valley transitioning from growing grass seed to organic grains. As the film explores these paradigm shifts, it personalizes class, gender, race and environmental justice issues by rooting them within narratives of compelling individuals. While the film is sober about the obstacles to creating change, it points the way toward hope.
“Gaining Ground is a warm and wonderful film that journeys into the future of food and agriculture. Hopeful,
-Bill Bigelow, Curriculum Editor, Rethinking Schools
- KBOO