Agricola by James Deavin

Honourable Mention – Personal

James Deavin’s project Agricola examines the subject of farming and growing food. The series includes a mix of portraits and landscapes, with subjects ranging from back gardens and allotments, to smallholdings and community farming.

The impetus for the series came from a number of sources, according to Deavin. “The project grew out of getting an allotment for the first time myself, right at the start of the lockdown, and the semi-shortages of some foods during the lockdown itself. [I became interested] in the supply chain and the Agriculture Bill being debated in government (owing to Brexit, of course),” he says.

“I started making portraits at our allotment – the people there are diverse. From there I started production of the main series by reading books about food production, farming, supply chains and, of course, I started watching Countryfile.

“I’ve been travelling around the country visiting farms and learning about food production. I want to represent people who work in farming equally, and that is why I photograph the workers as well as the owners. Often their stories are more interesting than the owners.”

jamesdeavin.com