These young people are reviving the dying farm culture — In the summer of 2015, photographer Eva Verbeeck and filmmaker Spencer MacDonald set out on a journey through the Pacific Northwest to document the lives of first-generation farmers who run small-scale organic farms.
With the average age of farmers in North America quickly approaching 60-years-old, Verbeeck and MacDonald sought to understand the impact that the aging population will have on our food system—through the eyes of the few young farmers taking up the work.
In the resulting short doc, Age of the Farmer, young people share why they are pursuing this lifestyle.
You can follow MacDonald on Instagram here.
Notes:
Data shows a growing interest among those under 35 in agriculture, with the USDA noting a rise in young farmers from 2007 to 2017, though they still make up just 9% of U.S. farmers.
Many are driven by a mix of passion for sustainable food systems, environmental concerns, and a desire to reconnect with land and community.
They’re leveraging tech—drones, precision agriculture, and e-commerce platforms to make small-scale farming viable, while others embrace regenerative practices to combat soil degradation and climate change.
The farm culture movement isn’t uniform. Some focus on profit, others on ideology, but it’s gaining traction. Programs like the National Young Farmers Coalition and 4-H are supporting this wave and are offering training and advocacy for the cause.
