I met Robyn Van En soon after she moved to the Berkshire hills from California and purchased Indian Line Farm in South Egremont.
Robyn Van En
In the mid-1970s I had worked for the federal anti-poverty program organizing several food cooperatives and community garden projects in southern Berkshire County. A few years later I organized a grassroots community effort around energy self-reliance in my small town, Monterey, Massachusetts. We represented the state in an international energy competition and with my then partner, John MacGruer, I made a documentary for television about our efforts, “Monterey Lights The Way.”
It was natural that Robyn would look me up, not only when she began to think about what to do with her new farm, but when she thought about documenting the grand experiment she and Jan VanderTuin were engaged in.
Indian Line Farm
It’s important to note that what happened at Indian Line Farm was a collaboration, and “It’s Not Just About Vegetables” reflects that. Jan brought the organizational model from his time in Switzerland; Robyn had a fierce commitment to the land; Hugh, the biodynamic farmer they found, was an experienced grower and everyone else was committed to working hard to making the project work.
Jan VanderTuin
Jan and Robyn were very persuasive, and, of course, there was no money for the video project. These were the days before Mini-DV and Final Cut Pro and affordable computerized editing. We shot 3/4″ video tape which we transferred to 1/2″ so we could edit on our simple cuts-only edit system. So not only is this a look into days gone by, it has an old look to it.
But what “It’s Not Just About Vegetables” offers is a glimpse into the beginning of a modest revolution in American agriculture. The moment when a small group of people, in one small town in America, took a simple idea and put it into practice.
“It’s Not Just About Vegetables” shows you the planning meeting, the shareholders, the farming and the farmer, the produce and the produce pick-up. You learn about the vision and see it take shape.
More than 20 years later, it is a inspiring testament to the ability of a determined few to change the world.
