¡Cómo produce la tierra! A Documentary on Life, Land, Family and Food Among Mexican-American Community Gardeners

This thesis uses original research on Mexican-American involvement in community gardens in Ukiah, CA to produce a video documentary covering migration histories, connections between life and land, and the roles of family and food among Mexican-American gardeners. It aims to achieve comprehensive findings by obtaining data from a collection of community gardens in Ukiah, CA, including participants that reflect the heterogeneity of the Mexican-American population. In doing so the research expects to enhance understandings of the Mexican American experience through oral histories and meaningful visuals, create a discursive product to encourage thought-provoking dialogue, and transmit the principles of The Gardens Project, which express the importance of a sustainable relationship between communities and food. This research utilizes an applied visual anthropology of food that takes a collaborative approach in representing the experiences of Mexican-American gardeners and transmitting this portrayal to a greater audience that extends not only beyond academia, but also between Spanish and English speakers. Collaboration among interlocutors is also emphasized in order to both honestly represent the experience and perspectives of the Mexican-American gardeners as well as benefit their pursuit in improving and expanding their community-food network.<p></p>