Omnivore - ‘Tour de Farm’: UGA grad on a pilgrimage for health

Biking across France, visiting organic farms on the way

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As we speak, Patricia and Tiffany Andrews are on a health pilgrimage - traversing the French countryside, and volunteering at four organic farms along the way. Oh, and they brought a video camera to document the whole thing. Tour de Farm is a digital documentary project that will cover 800 miles, 50 days, and four farms - all on two wheels. It’s “a documentary about an experiment in cultivating health.”

At the age of 23, UGA grad Patricia Andrews was ecstatic to learn that she had gotten into grad school at The University of Oxford. Twelve hours later, at a routine dermatology appointment, doctors found a tumor the size of a coconut in her side. Only a few years after losing her father to cancer, Andrews was terrified. After removing the melanoma and most of her oblique muscle, doctors were confident that the worst was over. Unfortunately, complications ensued and they found yet another mass. During her excruciating recovery process, Andrews had an epiphany.

“It was in that moment, with tubes coming out of my side and a picc-line in my arm that two things came into focus,” she says. “1) I would have to be exceptionally vigilant in my pursuit of health. 2) Life is undeniably fragile, so it should be lived to its fullest... right now.”

So the concept for Tour de Farm was born. The tour will commence in Nice and link up with the last day of the Tour de France in Paris.

In addition to documenting the ride, we we also be documenting the organic farming. At four stages throughout the journey we will trade our cycling gloves for work gloves, volunteering at organic farms along the way as a part of the WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) Network. At the farms, we will be busy helping to tend gardens, orchards and animals, but we hope to cultivate more than fruits and vegetables. We also hope to cultivate greater familiarity with where our food comes from, awareness of what it means to live sustainably in terms of both our food and transportation, and practical ways to adapt these principles to our daily lives.

Andrews is also documenting the journey on her blog, (as is Tiffany) and updating Kickstarter with photos and updates from the ride. You can [http://www.kickstarter.com/profile/324659957|check on their progress or donate to the project here.] (There’s a little over a day left on their campaign.)

Video after the jump