Food For Thought Traveling Exhibition

Food For Thought/ Micro Views of Sustenance: Threats and Prospects

We humans are busy going about our lives, while nature is in shock from the choices that we make. This series offers a micro perspective on how one part of nature–our food–is connected to climate change. As a career educator, lifetime fan of tiny nature, and photographer, I'm compelled to interpret these issues in a new way.

Every day, we’re more intimately tied to food than most anything else. Foods become our personal friends, or adversaries; these relationships play out on the world stage as they shape environmental quality, and even climate change. Making new "food friends" and letting go of old ones, as a society, can dramatically impact these issues.

These images symbolize both the abundance and the threat that humanity has brought to the dinner table. I feature resilient, edible seeds and grains like millet and sunflower, which offer significant minerals and nutrients and can be a great source of plant protein. Reducing meat consumption in favor of these plant sources would have a huge impact on reducing greenhouse gasses. Staple crops like wheat, rice and soy are all threatened by human-caused climate change. Yields and nutrient values of these and other foods are decreasing, putting extra strain on developing regions. Regenerative agriculture and carbon farming offer an alternative strategy. Rebuilding soil is one of the most powerful ways to capture carbon, and earthworms are heroes in this process. Azolla, the high-protein, fast-growing floating fern which is credited with removing half of the planet's excess CO2 50 million years ago, symbolizes the power of plants to heal the planet.

Images were made with a scanning electron microscope; they feature natural objects that are often smaller than a pinhead. DSLR macro photography completes the photomontages, to allow a surreal conversation between natural objects, and minute details of themselves. They are inspired by nature, and the artistic visions of Uelsmann, Blossfeldt, and Chris Jordan. Images are best seen at 30” x 30”.

"A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself." Franklin Delano Roosevelt

BLUEBERRY RISE This image in inspired by the 1968 Earthrise photo taken from space by William Anders. That iconic image launched the environmental movements decades ago. Today, agriculture is both a major source and potential healer of the climate crisis. Blueberries in Michigan are being impacted by seasonal shifts which bring new pests, harsh weather, and fewer pollinators. Blueberry seed: 300x

CARROT LEAVES Carrots and other produce worldwide are threatened by wild swings of drought and flooding.

WHEAT SPROUT ON FIRE Wheat yields are decreasing with rising temperatures. At the same time, nutrient content will decrease in a hotter climate, a burden for developing nations. Crops are also threatened by drought.

AVOCADO SEED SKIN Avocados grown in California are threatened by drought, so much so that some growers are choosing not to plant trees destined to mature (and struggle) in hotter conditions of the future.

OLIVE HEAD Olives are another staple food impacted by climate change. In 2018, the olive oil industry in Italy crashed, while Spain’s olives did very well. Climate chaos impacts the range and viability of crops, and this pattern is being repeated worldwide. Olive bud: 80x, leaf: 270x

LACE LICHEN Lace lichen has been used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes; it has antibacterial properties. Lichens are an indicator of clean air, and lace lichen doesn’t thrive where there are significant levels of pollution. It has been impacted by wildfires caused by drought; researchers have found it failing to return to burn sites even ten years after a fire. Lichen: 50x

TOMATOES Tomatoes are currently buffeted by swings of flooding, seasonal shifts, pests and pollinator changes. Growers are experimenting with new varieties that could handle this adversity. Tomato pollen: 1500x, tomato sepal: 240x

SKIN OF SOY One of the key threats of climate change is the reduction of yields for staple crops in most regions worldwide. At the same time, nutrient contents of food crops will decrease while carbohydrate contents will increase. This will have particularly harsh impacts in the developing world.

Buckwheat is an excellent source of plant-based protein. When used as a cover crop, buckwheat reduces the need for fertilizer, captures carbon, and it helps soil hold water.

RED CHILI Chilis are threatened by wild swings of drought and flooding.

URCHIN TAKES KELP Warming oceans stoke diseases that have wiped out sunflower stars along the Pacific coast. Kelp-eating urchins thrive without predation from the stars. Kelp reduces ocean acidification, captures carbon and provides habitat. Urchin tube foot disk: 270x, urchin teeth marks on bull kelp:1x

LETTUCE AND SEEDS Most lettuce grown in the USA comes from Arizona and California. In recent years, both locations have experienced unseasonal shifts in heat and rain which delayed plantings or caused early harvests. The E coli outbreak on Romaine lettuce is being tied to warming temperatures. Seeds: 80x

HOPS Spines on the edge of a hop leaf may not be enough to protect this plant, crucial to the brewing of beer, from the vagaries of climate change; it’s range is being constrained.

KALE Organic kale and produce have grown very popular in the past decades. Little known is that large-scale organic farms may emit more greenhouse gasses than conventional farms.

RICE LIFE CYCLE Rice is imperiled by rising sea levels, and shifting geographic ranges. Rice crops produce a great deal of methane, but researchers now explore how to grow rice without this greenhouse gas as a byproduct.

50 million years ago, Azolla grew in such huge quantities that it is credited with removing half of the excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This fast-growing, high-protein plant is being used for livestock feed, and possibly, for human consumption as well.

The decline of bees worldwide is well-documented, as is the threat to crops that rely on them for pollination. Little known is that natural mycelial extracts are being developed which boost bee immunity. Mycologist Paul Stamets says,, “Mycelium is the immune system of the mushroom.” Fuzz: 800x

LAVENDER DETAIL As a perennial plant with nutritional, horticultural and medicinal uses, lavender fields help build soil, feed pollinators, and reduce the need for yearly tilling. Flower detail: 300x

COMPOST AND THE SOIL SPONGE Three grains of "topsoil" versus three "grains" of compost at 90x – compost creates a sponge in soil, collecting water, air, and room for roots to spread. This is the foundation of a carbon-rich soil, which is the base of a cooler planet.

BIOCHAR The addition of biochar to soils, if done correctly, greatly increases the capacity of soils to hold water, nutrients and carbon. Use of biochar can be a "carbon negative" process. The central biochar in this image is the size of a pinhead, and the crystalline, porous surface hints at its sponge-like qualities.

COMPOST Adding organic matter such as compost to soil creates a physical structure which captures water, welcomes root growth, resists erosion, and stores carbon.

HAZELNUTS Hazelnuts are a key species in agro- forestry and carbon farming. When used as part of no-till agriculture, farmers show that they can capture more carbon than they release.

$PEA and CRICKET PROTEIN High quality protein can be produced at a fraction of the resource cost (land, water, energy) compared to traditional livestock agriculture. Chips made from crickets and burgers from peas are just a few examples of options that are recently becoming popular. Pollen: 2400x, Cricket leg: 110x, wing: 24x$

Robert Dash

Robert Dash Photography

Robert Dash is an educator, naturalist and photographer whose work features the complex textures and patterns of micro nature.