Plant This Movie

Gr 7 Up—This documentary about urban agriculture provides a clear picture of the planet's food crisis. The film starts on a small scale, pointing out that lawn grass is the most irrigated crop in the United States and asks, "Why are we wasting space and resources on growing something that we cannot eat?" Homeowners used to grow edible crops in their own yards. Now, with the boom of convenience stores and products, lawns are mostly used to grow grass. While wealthy communities waste water on their lawns but purchase organic peas at Whole Foods, poor urban communities have no access to fresh produce. This problem is not unique. All over the globe people are struggling to feed themselves, as valuable farm land has been contaminated or polluted. However, the film demonstrates how some have managed to find solutions to the problem. Cuba has successfully learned how to increase food production and live sustainably after being cut off from food sources. In Lima, Peru, residents have repurposed landfill to grow food. In the United States, people are planting garden in empty city lots, abandoned fields, and even in their own yards. Though the film is slow at times, the information is important, valuable, and accessibly presented.