Cultivating Change is a short documentary rooted in one man’s relationship to the land and his belief that food can be a form of care.

​

The film follows Dumisani, a farmer in Johannesburg whose love for farming began long before he had land to call his own. For him, agriculture is not a trend or an abstract solution. It is memory, survival, patience, and hope. When he was given the opportunity to farm on land once owned by his uncle, Dumisani did not see it simply as property. He saw the chance to finally live out a dream he had carried for years, to work with the soil, to grow food that could nourish his family and, eventually, his community.

​

At first, the farm was small and deeply personal. Dumisani learned through trial and error, teaching himself how to work with the land rather than against it. He committed to permaculture and organic practices not because they were fashionable, but because they made sense. Because they respected the soil. Because they lasted. Over time, as his confidence grew, so did his vision. What if this land could be more than a farm? What if it could be a classroom?

​

Today, Dumisani’s farm is a community space. He teaches free workshops to neighbors, young people, and anyone curious enough to learn, sharing everything he knows about seeds, soil, and sustainable farming. He believes knowledge should not be hoarded, especially when so many people struggle to access nutritious food. In a country where food insecurity and malnutrition remain persistent realities, Dumisani’s work offers something quietly radical: the idea that change can start with shared land, shared knowledge, and patience.

​

The film captures Dumisani in moments that feel small but carry enormous weight. His hands pressing seeds into the dirt. His boots moving through rows of plants. His children learning alongside him. Meals cooked from what the land provides. Laughter, singing, and the ordinary rhythms of a working farm. These images are set against a broader landscape shaped by inequality and scarcity, making the farm feel like both an oasis and a form of resistance.

​

Rather than relying on statistics alone, Cultivating Change stays close to Dumisani’s voice. He speaks honestly about the challenges of food insecurity, the limits of government intervention, and the urgency of teaching the next generation how to grow and care for their own food. His story reminds us that food insecurity is not just about hunger, but about access, dignity, and agency.

​

What moved me most while making this film was witnessing how storytelling itself can become part of the work. Being present, listening carefully, and shaping a narrative around Dumisani’s lived experience felt like an act of responsibility. This documentary does not claim to solve food insecurity. Instead, it asks viewers to slow down and pay attention, to recognize the power of local action, and to see farming not as labor alone, but as love passed forward.

​

Cultivating Change is ultimately a film about belief. Belief in the land. Belief in community. Belief that small, patient acts, planting seeds, teaching others, sharing what you grow, can ripple outward in ways that matter. It is a reminder that change does not always arrive loudly. Sometimes, it grows quietly, one seed at a time.