From rooftop farms to community gardens, urban farming projects challenge the city dweller’s idea of agriculture as a solely rural endeavor. Similarly, many emergent projects seek to expand our ideas of who farms and why. One such example is the Queer Farmer Film Project‘s development of a full-length documentary film that “explores the dynamic relationships between gender, sexuality, and agriculture, with a particular focus on the hearts and hard work of America’s queer farmers.” Check out a brief introductory clip.
In addition to working on a full-length documentary, the QFFP recently signed on to participate in Food: An Atlas, a “guerrilla cartography project” sponsored in part by the CAGE Lab of the Geography Department at UC Berkeley. Organizers hope to collect a variety of themed food maps from across the country, one of which will document the work of queer farmers. The definition of queer farmer is open to people who self-identify as queer and/or LGBTQ and who work on farms, community land projects, gardens, or with livestock.
At first glance, drawing connections between sexuality and farming may seem random. But the QFFP seeks to address several pressing issues, including strengthening networks of LGBTQ communities both urban and rural, heightening visibility of the diversity of farmers, and drawing links between social systems and food production. Sustainable food systems are not just about debating fertilizers and the benefits of buying local, but must also include the culture, health, and well being of the people and communities responsible for food production.
Visit the Queer Farmer Film Project on Facebook or send an email to email@example.com for more information or to participate. You can also contact Food: An Atlas directly at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Image: Queer Farmer Film Project.