What happens when you shrink a leaf down to the size of a pinhead, then blow it up to four feet wide? For photographer Robert Dash, it revealed a hidden world of patterns, and a new way to see how we grow our food.
And that’s the idea behind Food Planet Future, a book by Robert Dash, an award-winning photographer, naturalist, and career science educator. Using a scanning electron microscope, he captures details smaller than a pinhead, then pairs those images with real stories of regenerative agriculture.
We talk about how a childhood spent exploring streams and forests shaped his path, how he stitches dozens of microscope scans into one image, and why he once worried he’d broken the rules of science. Robert then shares the regenerative crops that inspired him and why he believes regenerating our food system takes thousands of actions rather than one fix. We wrap up with his advice for other creators and what a better world means to him.
Covered in this episode
A childhood of streams, ponds, and forests sparked Robert’s love of nature
Nearly 28 years in education alongside a growing photography practice
Stitching electron microscope scans into images
Flipping scale so the tiny becomes massive
Robert’s view that art and science share the same imagination
A magazine editor’s challenge and the museum exhibition behind Food Planet Future
Perennial rice, Kernza, and quinoa caught Robert’s attention as regenerative crops
What regenerating our food system takes
Advice for creators
Check out the full episode to see food, farming, and the future of our planet in a new light.
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Get 20% off Robert’s book, Food Planet Future (plus more great discounts from our guests), inside the Discount Vault.
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