Grow!

Gr 9 Up—Did you ever wonder about the source of all those beautiful organic fruits and vegetables you see at local farmers' markets? They could well be the product of small organic farms similar to those described in this beautifully crafted documentary focusing on a dozen such sites around Georgia. The young workers discuss their varied backgrounds and the fact that they never thought that they might wind up laboring with their hands on a sustainable farm. Their personal commentaries offer a realistic picture of what is involved with modern-day small-scale agriculture and remind viewers that they should be open to job possibilities they previously had never considered. The program is nicely balanced between these personal observations and lovingly photographed visuals of the intense physical labor asked of those committed to the resurgence of individual farms. Even though there is an acknowledgement that there must be some consideration of the economics of farming, one telling comment is "it isn't all about crop yield." We follow these local farmers through the growing season from spring planting to the final products of the late Georgia fall. Since the average age of today's farmer is over 60, the possibility looms that our country will need young "growers" like these if we are to maintain any type of individual farm. A chapter selection option increases the potential usefulness of this title as both a classroom and an individual research tool.—Dwain Thomas, formerly of Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL