This is what it's all about
Exactly one hundred years ago, the female farmer Mina Hofstetter decided to change her eating habits to a vegan diet and work her family farm without livestock. People far beyond Switzerland noticed that Hofstetter was turning the farm into a «training centre for organic farming».
Women and men from all over the world visited her on her farm near the lake Greifensee, where well known public figures like Maximilian Bircher-Benner and Elin Wägner gave lectures. Hofstetter also published texts and corresponded with authorities, agricultural associations, scientists and writers. She gave lectures and introductory courses on organic farming in many European countries. Together with the Jewish emigrant Anna Helena Askanasy and the «Women’s Organisation for World Order», she also planned an agricultural settlement in Canada where women were in charge.
Today, Mina Hofstetter’s pioneering commitment has largely been forgotten. Even in the women’s movement and in organic farming circles, her activities are hardly recognized any more. We want to change this with the publication of her texts and the production of a video essay about her life and work.
Mina Hofstetter 
Our project is special because
Until now, insights from historical research have been communicated almost exclusively through texts in the form of books and articles in scientific journals. Video essays are an excellent addition to this, because audiovisual sources can be used to focus on other aspects and reach a wider audience.
The activities of the early ecofeminists are not only documented in texts, but also in film footage and numerous photographs. We are therefore able to explain Mina Hofstetter’s pioneering commitment visually with a video essay. This is particularly appealing to younger people who are looking for ways of how to make the production, development and consumption of food more sustainable in the future.
This is what we need backing for
Producing a video essay is time-consuming and expensive. We are dependent on support to cover the costs of research, writing the script, sound recording and video editing. Anyone who supports us will receive a reward and can participate in the project.
