Educational Media Reviews Online

Since the nineteenth century American society has changed significantly especially in the areas of employment or chosen professions. Fields of Devotion informs the viewer that only two percent of Americans are farmers today compared to 80 percent in the 1850s. This dramatic drop in the number of working farmers, climate change, botanical diseases, and other issues have rendered food growing more challenging. This film demonstrates how research and science play an important role in finding solutions to crucial agricultural problems that, left unaddressed, could impact crop production in the future.

Set in New Jersey, that often has an inaccurate and maligned reputation of being a polluted industrial region, this documentary reveals that over 9,800 farms exist in this state. Ninety percent of these farms are family owned. The filmmakers validate New Jersey’s state slogan/nickname as “The Garden State” as they visit numerous farms in this area that grow a variety of produce. The farmers interviewed for this film assert that revenue from crops is often vulnerable and can be lost due to bad weather or disease. Thousands of dollars were lost when New Jersey basil crops succumbed to a fungus called downy mildew which obliterated fields of plants within a few weeks. Fields of Devotion documents how a group of scientists at Rutgers University collaborated with these farmers to find solutions to the blight affecting the basil.

The process to identify downy mildew-resistant basil that could be cross-pollinated with the disease-susceptible basil variety which would yield a plant resistant to this fungus took years. The film provides an excellent overview not only of the experiments and procedures involved in creating this stronger breed, but also explains the genetics involved in a straightforward manner that all viewers can understand. One learns that over 400 types of basil plants exist, and their genetic code is much more complex than what humans possess. The filmmakers interviewed farmers, plant pathologists, graduate students, and other scientists to present all the participants involved in creating a plant that ultimately had a resistance to this mildew but also possessed the aroma/other qualities consumers sought when buying or eating sweet basil. The scientists underscore that this mildew-resistant basil is not a genetically modified organism, but one created using traditional plant breeding techniques.

Fields of Devotion is available to stream on Kanopy. It is highly recommended for advanced high school science classes or introductory college courses in such disciplines as agricultural science, biology, botany, and genetics. The film includes beautiful scenes of flowers, crops, and pastures. The directors also include aerial shots to demonstrate the splendor and fragility of our nation’s farmlands. This documentary illustrates how collaboration, research, and science can address food scarcities caused by a variety of factors which will continue to plague agriculture. Fields of Devotion serves as an inspirational science story that might motivate individuals to study science or other research-related fields in order to improve the world.

Awards:
2023 Best Climate Film: New York Science and Nature Film Festival; 2023 Best Short Documentary: Garden State Film Festival; 2023 Best Short Documentary: Scinema International Science Film Festival; 2023 Honorable Mention: Sci-On!

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