Ricing to the Occasion 

Wendell Berry’s words in  ‘Think Little’ were the first to start restoring my connection with the land years ago—and a particular line from his essay spurred me to dig deep into our collective historical roots, to a time we still knew how to produce sustenance from the land we lived off of.

I looked to a time before Singapore’s tech-powered ‘30 by 30’ initiative (to locally produce 30% of its nutritional needs by 2030), to the “grow more food” campaign promoted by Japanese authorities to overcome food shortages in World War II.

There was limited farming knowledge among the masses, but many soon learned how to grow the hardiest, most reliable crops for survival—the humble tapioca and sweet potato.

I can’t help wondering: if we ever go to war, can we depend on the high-tech farming solutions to save us? perhaps! but without a deep sense of connection with the earth directly beneath our feet, will we care enough to protect it with our lives? I’ll leave you to chew on that bittersweet thought.

- Gabrielle See

(For The Slow Press Volume 5: Bittersweet)

Client: The Slow Press
Words: Gabrielle See
Editor: Christy Chua
Software: Indesign and Photoshop
Materials:  Magazine
Year: 2024