Exploration 9

One of the biggest themes that is presented in the film Fresh is the idea that the way that we grow and produce food is cheap this is true, but this does not mean that this is the right way to produce food. Producing food the way we currently are is damaging to the environment as well as ourselves.
"We need to respect the design of nature" (Joel S. farmer). Joel talks about the problems that arise when companies want to mass produce beef and other various products produced by farmers. One of the biggest problems that is prevalent in the production process today is how we raise the animals. "Cattle need to be always moving, herbivores are never supposed to eat meat" (Joel. S). A lot of the industrialized producers of commonly bought items on the market now are feeding cattle other dead cattle which is terrible to even think about. This is how diseases like salmonella and mad cow are started because people want to make lots of money and do not care about the consequences that come with force feeding animals unnatural food like their own dead brothers and sisters.
There is hope for these problems. People like Will Allen are taking time to educate people on how to change their ways and how to grow and produce healthy food efficiently. Will, who grew up to two farming parents, went and played basketball over seas but then realized that he could do the world some good by producing food that was safe, healthy and not produced by the inhumane treatment of animals. Will runs a little 3 acre farm in the middle of the city, which thousands of people visit every year. Will does not only teach people how to start these self sustaining farms, but also gives them supplies such as worms, hay and other various items for free. With more people like Will there could be a drastic change taking place in this world as far as the production of food is concerned. "My food has a name now" (Karen Parker). Karen was taught by Will how to grow and what to buy that is fresh and worth spending money on. She claimed that it was so local that she knew the names of the cows she was eating. This shows that Will is changing people's views on organic and local markets. Karen said "I am now eating more vegetables now than i have at any other time in my life, and i think that is a great thing." Will Allen is really working at starting the movement into a safer, more healthy environment all by teaching people the basics.
I think it is very important that we make slow but steady changes to this huge problem. Food that is good for you should not be more expensive than food that is terrible for you. In order to fix this problem the government needs to quit subsidizing industrialized farms and give money to the farms who do things the correct, humane, and healthy way. As long as the government supports farms who produce the incorrect way, this will always be a problem. If the people take a stand and always buy organic and locally this would help. Then the problem occurs that most people do not have the extra money to buy organic because it costs more. If they lowered prices a little more people would buy it. Without the governments full support though,  industrialized farming will stay like it is: cheap, easy, and extremely profitable.