We Feed the World

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Close to a billion of the nearly seven billion people on Earth are starving today. But the food we are currently producing could feed 12 billion people. This is a film about food and globalization, fishermen and farmers, the flow of goods and cash flow -- a film about scarcity amid plenty.

Why doesn't a tomato taste like a tomato today? How does one explain that 200 million people in India, supplier of 80% of Switzerland's wheat, suffer from malnutrition? Why are thousands of acres of the Amazon being cleared to grow soybeans? Is water something to which the public has a basic right or, as the CEO of the world's largest food company Nestle suggests, a foodstuff with a market value?

These distressing questions are addressed as filmmaker Erwin Wagenhofer travels from Austria to Brazil, France to Romania to interview Jean Ziegler, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, CEOs and directors of the world's largest food companies, agronomists, biologists, fishermen, farmers and farmworkers.

On a daily basis, in Vienna alone, enough left-over bread to supply a small city is destroyed. The planet has enough production power to feed everyone, but 800 million people suffer from hunger. What does world hunger have to do with us?

'The images from this video will stay in your mind long after the closing credits. The film effectively reveals the paradoxical disparity between the prevalence of hunger and the overproduction of food, sometimes within the same country. It exposes the very high costs of this enormous food production in terms of ecological health, quality of the foods, and humane treatment of the animals and still, there is much food waste and millions of people starving - How can we continue to let this happen?

Most people in developed nations are so far removed from the origins of their food that few really know and understand the methods of modern food production; they still have a very bucolic view of farms and fisheries. This video very effectively shows the reality of modern, high volume food production methods. It will be hard to look at foods the same way again.' Dalia Perelman, Nutrition and Food Science Department, San Jose State University

'Through evocative images and compelling stories, We Feed the World illustrates the ominous ecological and societal consequences of a global food system driven solely by the relentless quest for corporate profits and growth. The documentary reflects a European perspective from which every American might learn. Clearly, the future of humanity is at risk and time is running out.' John Ikerd, Professor Emeritus, Agricultural Economics, University of Missouri, author of Sustainable Capitalism: A Matter of Common Sense, A Return to Common Sense, Small Farms are Real Farms, and Crisis and Opportunity: Sustainability in American Agriculture

'The absurdities of a globalized food industry are subject to mounting scrutiny and criticism. These excesses are illustrated with jaw-dropping efficacy in this timely documentary from Austrian filmmaker Erwin Wagenhofer.' Sofia International Film Festival

'This unsettling documentary from Austria meticulously documents how the mechanization of modern food production has created a monster. It reveals how the Western agro-industry's insatiable hunger for yield is creating poorer quality food, mind-boggling wastage, and impoverishing our natural environment and those who work in it.' iofilm

'Sincere...perversely fascinating. It's enough to put you off poultry.' Variety

'The documentary focuses on various aspects on the supply side of the food chain, giving insight to the various industries which produce food, like fishing, vegetables and poultry...It just boggles the mind, and makes you feel sad at the way things work, illogical as it may seem, in the name of profit.' A Nutshell Review

'We Feed the World highlights two of the most pressing issues of our time: food distribution and globalization. Students can surely learn much by observing the differences shown between large agribusinesses and small farmers...This film illustrates many surprising results and connections among the people who produce foods and those who consume them...A great resource to spark a dialogue about the effects of globalization on food production and distribution systems.' Laura Skelton, Assistant Program Director, Facing the Future: People and the Planet

'We Feed The World tells us that we are all part of the system, and that it is up to 'us' to change it, as we are the ones who should desire to do so.' Shift Magazine

'The film is a thoughtful look at the problems facing small food producers in the face of increasing subsidies and industrialization of agricultural processes...provides fodder for student discussion on the perils of the modern agriculture system. Strong production values make We Feed the World visually interesting as well as thought provoking.' Dr. Jeffrey Miller, Professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Colorado State University

'We Feed the World ensures that viewers will rethink their ideas about what farms look like, where their groceries come from, and why people starve. A provocative instructional tool, this film will be an asset anywhere educators wish to inspire students to think critically about globalization, food, and hunger.' Charlotte Biltekoff, American Studies and Food Science and Technology Departments, University of California-Davis

'This powerful film provokes the viewer to thought about the real nature of the world's food system, and what we need to consider in moving beyond mere concern with just lower food prices...[We Feed the World] does a superb job of stirring the emotions on the way to envisioning a different and better future with regard to the way we produce the food we eat.' Gary D. Lynne, Professor, Dept. of Agricultural Economics and School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

'We Feed the World provides a thought provoking look at the global food industry...an excellent starting point for discussion of several important topics. The problems of overproduction and food waste, global corporate policies and their impacts, government regulations and subsidies, the dark side of biotechnology, environmental degradation both of the ocean's resources and the Amazon, and water rights are just some of the subjects that can be further studied and discussed after viewing this film. Recommended.' Educational Media Reviews Online

'Does this film have a place in the anthropology curriculum? Absolutely! Students, like most consumers, have virtually no connection to their food nor are interested in the technology...[We Feed the World] will increase awareness and impress students with the complexity of global food policies. The film may be used in courses on globalization, capitalism, culture change/development, or applied anthropology.' Thomas Stevenson, Ohio University, Anthropology Review Database

'A sobering tapestry...Wagenhofer's sharply articulated messages are reinforced by inspiring images, meaningful statistics and poignant anecdotes.' John Fidler, Reading Eagle

'Provides a sobering and disturbing European perspective on the implications of agricultural globalization. It is a great entry point for a discussion about how traditional environmentalism now intersects with issues of justice, the economy, democracy, civil society, sustainability, and so on.' Orion Magazine

MARC Record See Worldcat record

Keywords

world food system, world hunger, food globalization, fishermen, farmers, flow of goods, cash flow, scarcity amid plenty, soybeans, Amazon, rainforest destruction, Peter Brabeck, Nestle, water rights, France, Almeria, Spain, Romania, Switzerland, Brazil, Austria, Erwin Wagenhofer, Jean Ziegler, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, agronomists, biologists, farmworkers, Vienna, bread; "We Feed the World"; Bullfrog Films

WEBVTT

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[Epp speaking German]

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[machine whirring]

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[speaking German]

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[speaking German]

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[machines rumbling]

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[Manhart speaking German]

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[blades screeching]

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[Dominique Cleuziou
speaking French]

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[machine whirring]

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[engine rumbling]

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[water splashing]

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[chains jingling]

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[man yelling in French]

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[wheel squeaking]

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[man speaking French over radio]

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[engine roaring]

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[seagulls squawking]

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[seagulls screeching]

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[Philippe Cleuziou
speaking German]

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[Dominique Cleuziou
speaking French]

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[speaking German]

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[animal warbling]

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[man singing in native language]

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[metal scraping]

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[water spraying]

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[men speaking native language]

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[man coughs]

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[birds chirping]

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[man singing in Spanish]

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[lively guitar music]

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[water splashing]

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[man speaking native language]

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[machine whirring]

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[Otrok speaking German]

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Tibe, how many hectares
are these in one part?

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Do you know,
the whole thing here?

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(Negut)
500, 1,000.

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500, 1,000 hectares
of sunflowers.

00:40:59.834 --> 00:41:00.998
(Negut)
Many are there.

00:41:00.999 --> 00:41:01.999
(Otrok)
Yeah.

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[metal scraping]

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[grass swishing]

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[horse munching]

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[wheels squeaking]

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[man speaking native language]

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[Otrok speaking German]

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[speaking native language]

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[Otrok speaking German]

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[water gurgling]

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[horse whinnies]

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[people murmuring]

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[man laughing]

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[Otrok speaking German]

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[laughter]

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Because if you start now,
with the hybrids,

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you will not have
anything anymore

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what is biological.

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And this is already
in Austria like this, you know?

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We start again, you know,

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but it takes a long time
to get everything back in a bio,

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what we call \"bio,\" you know?

00:49:48.292 --> 00:49:51.626
(Negut)
Yes, you cannot compare
the natural vegetables

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that we\'re growing here,

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but one country or one grower,

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at a certain moment,
has to make a choice.

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Is he going to stay
with the best taste,

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low production,
low market, let\'s say,

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or they want to produce?

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They will talk between them,
and it will be their choice.

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(Otrok)
I hope these people,
what we visit yesterday,

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these small farmers,

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don\'t have this much money
to go in this seed,

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to still stay
with your seed you have

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and with your good taste

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and with
your good vegetables here.

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But I am not
against hybrids or something.

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I am just want a good taste,

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and for me, the normal seed
tastes better than the hybrid.

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So that\'s it.

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It\'s very simple to say,

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and as I come
a long time ago to Romania,

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you know, we [bleep] up
the West a few times,

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and now we are
coming to Romania.

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We will [bleep]
all the agriculture here.

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[speaking German]

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[speaking Portuguese]

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[birds chirping]

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[rain pattering]

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[speaking Portuguese]

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[Puhl speaking Portuguese]

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[water trickling]

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[de Souza speaking Portuguese]

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[goat bleating]

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[child laughs]

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[woman speaking Portuguese]

01:04:14.083 --> 01:04:17.083
[goat bleats]

01:04:39.959 --> 01:04:42.959
[birds chirping]

01:05:38.501 --> 01:05:40.501
[de Souza speaking Portuguese]

01:07:41.459 --> 01:07:44.459
[machine whirring]

01:07:46.250 --> 01:07:48.417
[metal clanging]

01:07:58.501 --> 01:08:01.626
[machinery rumbling]

01:08:04.042 --> 01:08:07.042
[high-pitched squealing]

01:08:29.667 --> 01:08:31.998
[chickens clucking]

01:08:31.999 --> 01:08:34.999
[rooster crows]

01:08:36.999 --> 01:08:39.999
[Schulz speaking German]

01:09:39.626 --> 01:09:42.626
[rooster crows]

01:11:20.999 --> 01:11:23.999
[machine whirring]

01:12:06.375 --> 01:12:09.375
[chicks chirping]

01:15:25.584 --> 01:15:28.584
[speaking German]

01:17:07.792 --> 01:17:10.792
[tractor rumbling]

01:17:28.000 --> 01:17:31.000
[chicks chirping]

01:17:42.999 --> 01:17:45.999
[engine roaring]

01:18:44.999 --> 01:18:47.999
[chickens clucking]

01:27:08.751 --> 01:27:11.751
[Brabeck speaking German]

01:32:58.167 --> 01:32:59.584
[man over TV]
Of the new Nescafé

01:32:59.626 --> 01:33:02.501
and preferred
to any other commercial product.