Cultivated Land

With my series “cultivated land”, I explore the visual impact modern agriculture has on our (Western European) landscape. In former times farmers were responsible for serving their families and other people living in their village. Todays farmers are often tied to contracts with supermarkets and the food industry, leaving no room for crop failures. The yield has to be maximised year after year in order to stay profitable. Adding to that, new regulations enforced by local governments as well as the EU put additional pressure on the farmers. Smaller family owned farms are starting to decline, because they often do not have the financial reserves necessary. Agriculture has become an industry, todays farmers are businessmen. And that reflects itself in the landscape: farms are starting to look sterile, almost like factories. The land is being cultivated and harvested with a high precision, keeping yield losses as low as possible. Greenhouses are serving us, the consumer with vegetables and fruits all year round that used to be seasonal goods. I hope that my series acts as a visual inventory; showing what modern agriculture looks like right now.