By Anthony-Masterson
With the average age of farmers in the U.S. currently at 57, it's critical to encourage more young people to take up the plow. GROW! profiles a new crop of idealistic young farmers who have turned to the fields for a more fulfilling life, driven also by a strong desire to change how our food is grown.
Filmed on 12 different farms throughout the state of Georgia during an entire growing season, GROW! provides an honest and inspiring look at this next generation of farmers.
There is an emerging movement of young people, both women and men, who are leaving the cities to take up an agrarian life. Many are college-educated, and some are unable to find jobs in the current economic slump. Not happy with their current lives and what they see as a broken food system, they aim to fix some of the current shortcomings by growing and distributing food locally and in a more sustainable manner.
To start off, they often must borrow, rent or manage farmland in order to fulfill their dreams. Some begin as apprentices, working with experienced farmers to learn the basics before venturing out on their own.
GROW! takes an engaging and personal look at this new generation of sustainable farmers through the eyes, hearts and minds of 20 passionate, idealistic and fiercely independent young growers. In the film they speak of both the joys and the challenges involved in tending the land, from unpredictable weather and equipment breakdowns, to keeping their crops healthy. They also clearly present what motivates them, and what it takes to be successful as a farmer.
The film provides inspiration to all viewers to support this new crop of local and sustainable farmers through the food choices we make every day.
Reviews
~ "These young people are happy. Hard-working to be sure, but satisfied in their work, nourishing themselves and others, and the earth itself, with their unusual career choice to return to America's agrarian roots ¡ª before corporations and chemicals took control of our food production." - Atlanta Magazine
~ "GROW! offers the opportunity to understand a new generation of farmer... What we get is a picture of hardworking, passionate and, yes, idealistic 20 and 30-somethings who feel called to a 'real' job with tangible results." - Civil Eats
~ "Follows 20 young sustainable farmers on 12 farms in Georgia as they doggedly pursue careers in agriculture despite challenges related to land ownership and lack of farming experience." - Seedstock
Awards
~ Best American Documentary, Rome International Film Festival
~ Focus Award, Montana CINE International Film Festival
~ Best of Category (Food and Agricultural Issues), Montana CINE International Film Festival
~ Audience Choice Award, Docufest Atlanta
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