By Emily Stonehouse

There’s a shift happening in the way we see our food, and Andrea Salvatori and Thalia Nash are paving the way for these changes in our community.
The two recently presented a film called The Seeds of Vandana Shiva on Feb. 10 at the Fish Hatchery. The event was entry by donation, with all proceeds being split between the Hatchery and the Minden Community Food Bank – Community Gardens start-up.
The documentary film focused on the life and legacy of Vandana Shiva. Shiva is a scientist, activist, author, and philosopher who has dedicated her life to bringing awareness to the health of the planet.
“Vanadana’s strong voice advocates to keep the weight of power with small farmers by promoting local as opposed to large corporations involvement in agriculture,” said Salvatori, “[she] connects a wide variety of life concepts together, always circling back to self sustainability, food, water and soil health.”
The crux of the documentary is the holistic approach to anti-GMO farming, which promotes health and sustainability for all living creatures.
Salvatori and Nash are no strangers to the subject. Both share a background in health sciences, with Salvatori as a natural nutrition clinical practitioner and the owner of Root to Sun Nutrition, and Nash as a registered practical nurse. The duo have a mutual interest in farming from the land. “We have a lot of overlapping interests,” they told the Echo, “the largest one being the health of our soil which leads to nutrient dense foods.” They shared that some of these interests also include living off-grid, homestead farming, and organic practices applied to a multitude of experiences.
They agree that The Seeds of Vandana Shiva documentary has had a ripple effect on the natural farming world as a whole. “The interesting thing about this documentary is its ability to depict the evolutionary history of agriculture and the by-products that it has created,” they said. “It is eye opening and inspiring to see what she has been able to accomplish in changing history for the better.”
Exploring hyper-local alternatives to food production and consumption are a key takeaway on the viewing of the film. Together, Nash and Salvatori provided viewers with a list of nine different Haliburton County-based farmers who revolve their practices around sustainability, as well as a handful of local businesses and restaurants who utilize the farm-to-table mentality.
The duo hope that the powerful voice that was articulated by Shiva throughout the documentary will inspire local farmers to dive into sustainable practices, and residents of Haliburton County to take an interest in where their food comes from. “A healthy environment, and healthy food directly connects to our health as humans,” Salvatori said. “Some questions to ask yourself: Is your food laden with pesticides and herbicides? How healthy is the soil your food was grown in? How clean is the water that sustains your food? Buying local food gives you the opportunity to ask your farmers these questions.”
They shared that the success of the film has sparked an interest in the topic, and they hope to have a second viewing soon, for all those curious about learning more.
For a full list of local farmers to support, visit www.harvesthaliburton.com/farm-gate-sales.html.