PolyCultures: Food Where We Live is a documentary film and multi-media production project developed in collaboration with LESS Productions in Cleveland. The film gets its title from the word “polyculture” which describes farm systems that mimic natural systems with diverse and interdependent elements. Polyculture is the opposite of “monoculture”- a description of the one-dimensional industrial farming systems that dominate much of Northeast Ohio.

PolyCultures also describes the social movement that has formed around local food systems, including the integration of diverse communities, both rural and urban, across Northeast Ohio. PolyCultures looks at the many interdependent elements that make up a more diverse, just, healthy, and sustainable food system in Northeast Ohio. It also explores some of the significant challenges as we move to demand more locally grown foods.

PolyCultures has been developed in seven different chapters or plots. Click on the plot below to get more background information about the places and people from the movie as well as some links to connect you to the diverse local food communities and organizations around Northeast Ohio.

1- City Fresh:

Connecting City and Country

2- Access to Healthy Food:

Nourishing Urban Neighborhoods

3- Conventional Agriculture:

Farming with Oil

4- Ecological Agriculture:

Farming With Nature

5- Sustainable Business:

Investing in Community

6- Economics and Innovation:

Valuing Local Farmers

7- Urban Agriculture:

Growing Where We Live

PolyCultures features appearances by best-selling writer Michael Pollan (Ominvore’s dilema), writer Mark Winne (Closing the Food Gap), ecological visionary David Orr, writer Michael Ruhlman (Soul of a Chef), Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, international permaculture designer Darren Doherty, and a whole host of local heros, including Maurice Small (City Fresh), Ned Hill (Cleveland State University), Norm Krumholz (Cleveland State University) Joe Cimperman (Cleveland City Council), Harold Hartzler (Hartzler Family Dairy), Brad Masi (New Agrarian Center), Aaron Englander (George Jones Farm), urban farmers, rural farmers, eaters, and chickens, bees, and piggies!

Below are two film samples, including the first four minutes of the film and an interview with dairy farmer Harold Hartzler from the Farming with Nature plot of the film.

PolyCultures: first four minutes of film

                        UPROOTED: INNOVATIONS PART II, February 2008

PolyCultures: interview with Harold Hartzler on natural farming

PolyCultures was an official selection of the 2009 Cleveland International Film Festival and will soon be AVAILABLE ON DVD! Get your copy at the exclusive DVD release party at Greenhouse Tavern on June 22nd or order an advance copy at:

http://www.lessproductions.com/