Get involved with Steve James’ new documentary

One in six people in the world are undernourished and malnourishment kills more children now than any other cause. This is a strong contradiction to the statistic which shows us that at the same time one in four people in the world is overweight. What is even more shocking is that it is predicted that for the first time in the history of mankind, tomorrow’s generation is predicted to die younger because of the poor food situation we are seeing today. Is there a solution? Yes, in fact there are many.

Just looking at footage of starving children is not going to solve a problem, Steve James must have thought when he and best-selling author Raj Patel (‘The Value of Nothing’ and ‘Stuffed and Starved’) started researching a new project called Generation Food, the focus must be on solutions.  After one year, the pair, together with a team of fourteen researchers, came out with some of the most inspiring stories from across the world; from a climate-change-ready farming system in Cuba, to a way of cooking and eating that transforms women’s lives in Malawi. Now it is time to let the people behind these projects tell us how we can benefit from them and learn different processes of manufacturing food.

The project, supported by Sheffield Doc/Fest, will see not just a documentary being produced but also a book and a multimedia project. Speaking about their motivation for creating this project, the filmmaker and author say: “We want to show how ordinary women and men around the world are overcoming obstacles and “setting the table” for themselves, their communities, and generations to come. Generation Food is our way of sharing the resilience and wisdom of these communities with you, and yours with them online, on screen, on paper and in person.”

Via Indiegogo the team is looking to raise £50.000 (of which they have already managed a staggering £30.000 with 8 days left to go). You can rest assured you’re money will be well spend as the boys have put up a complete breakdown:

• $30,000: This is to pay the many researchers and activists who have dedicated their time and talent to us.
• $8,000: For travel, field vists, and hiring local crew and helpers.
• $5,000: Will begin to cover the cost of some filming equipment.
• $4,000: So we can begin building a digital media platform to share GenFood stories with a larger audience.
• $3,000: Goes to Indiegogo to pay for using their website.

Remember, we might not have enough money to buy the new trainers we like, we might not be able to fly out on our dream holiday but few of us in the Western world have too little money or resources to feed ourselves or our children. Let’s make sure this won’t be an issue in the future either.

Get Involved

What can you do? Well aside from giving money towards this project there are a few things Patel and James ask you to do, such as:

Support – Watch the campaign video, and check out the great ‘thank you’ gifts on the Indiegogo page.

Join the project - become part of Generation Food. Connect with them online, let them know about your story, what you are working to change, and inspire more people.

Share this project – Help Generation Food reach as many people as possible, use your Twitter page, put a link on Facebook and the video on Pinterest.

Keep in touch - Keep in touch with the project and the campaign. James and Patel will apparently be sending updates from Japan, Cuba, Peru and the United States – this way we can all be a part of it.

If you want to find out more, donate or send a message in support, then visit the Generation Food Indiegogo campaign by clicking here.