We Eat the Earth

‘We Eat the Earth’ explores how our collective appetite reshapes the Earth and how the production of fertilisers required for industrial agriculture impacts our political and physical environments. Artist and researcher Crystal Bennes maps the material flows of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphate fertilisers between eight key sites. Among other things, the book shows how nitrogen fertiliser alone accounts for around 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Widespread fertiliser use contributes to soil degradation, water pollution, and environmental destruction. Finally, the project offers a hopeful perspective by highlighting farmers committed to producing food without the use of fertiliser.