Yann Friederich

The Landscapes We Eat:
Reconnecting People to Food Production through Agro-tourism

Abstract

The production of the food we eat has an effect on the planet and our health, from deforestation to air and water pollution. The majority of the food produced is through conventional agriculture. Unfortunately, this type of agriculture results in the degradation of our soils (Lickwar & Thoren 2020). The world grows 95% of its food in the uppermost layer of soil, making topsoil one of the most important components of our food system. If we continue to degrade the soil at the rate we are now, the world could run out of topsoil in about 60 years (Coiser S. 2019). Without topsoil, the earth’s ability to filter water, absorb carbon, and feed people plunges. If we want to repair our soils, we have to change the way we farm, to change the way we farm we have to change the way we consume. To change the way we consume we have to learn how our food is produced and the impacts thereof.

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My thesis intents to create a demonstration site where people can learn about various soil creation processes, whilst experiencing a landscape with rare and beautiful heritage. With the improvement of the socioeconomic and ecological conditions of the local community at the forefront.