Everything is Everything: Organic Farmers Around the World

Jim Nelson rests on his dog Ruby under a giant coastal redwood tree at Camp Joy Gardens in Boulder Creek, California. Jim was a student of Alan Chadwick and has passed on his teachings at the non-profit educational organic farm for over 40 years. As a 2007 apprentice, Camp Joy gave me my first intensive gardening education and experience.

Za Pepa outside Siem Reap Cambodia poses with bunches of rice that he's about to transplant. Small for his age, probably from malnutrition, Za Pepa was taken in as an orphan by Rady, a concerned community member who has adopted many orphans and opened up a free English school for the orphans and others in the community. Part of Za Pepa's home life is helping with the rice on the land, which will form the basic staple of his and the others' diet for the next year.

Rahdebaba's mother sorts dried rose petals in Rajpur, Northwest Uttar Pradesh, India in 2011.

Nagaraj tills out the weeds between the rice rows at the Annadana Farm outside Bangalore, India.

Goal waters some new seed beds at Annadana Farm.

Ashi and I prepared the paddies for planting rice - a muddy, back-breaking job of making little dams and dykes from the earth to be able to evenly irrigate the fields. Ashi, a Burmese refugee living in Northwestern Thailand, didn't speak English and I don't speak Lisu, his hill tribe language and so we communicated with gestures and smiles. Besides rice, this farm was producing rubber, fruit, pork and fish.

Ignacio poses at the small organopónico (urban farm) where he works in Cienfuegos, Cuba.

Señor Colina, the boss of this small farm and one of his workers.

These farmers were transplanting tomato plants in Viñales, Cuba. While some farmers around Cuba were welcoming, some, like these, were quite suspicious of me and my intentions. These in particular asked me to leave before I "contaminated" their beds with my non-farm clothes.

A farmer poses for my camera at an organopónico in Trinidad, Cuba. Just outside the city center, there were three small farms all next to each other along the road.

These farmers in Cienfuegos, Cuba were super friendly. They shared their lunch of mushy noodles and pork with me.

One of the young workers at the Organic Farm outside Vang Vieng, Laos gives foraged leaves to the goats. He also attended English classes at a nearby school started by the farm. The Organic Farm solicits international volunteers to help teach English and to help with goat chores. Unlike the typical WWOOF farm, they charge volunteers a bit of money for accommodation and food.