Farming in China: As many pitfalls as Clarkson’s Farm? | Food Talk Vol.15
In 2021, the first season of the reality documentary *Clarkson’s Farm*, featuring a grumpy old man trying his hand at farming, earned a high score of 9.6 on Douban. This February 10th, the second season is set to premiere.
Why has Jeremy Clarkson—the wealthy old man and former host of the world’s most famous motoring programme, *Top Gear*—faced so many setbacks upon returning to the land? Why were Lamborghini tractors and sheep-herding drones such bad ideas? And after toiling away for 365 days, why was the annual net profit a mere £144?
In this episode, the Foodthink “human danmaku” panel will give a quick recap of the first season and discuss the gap between the life portrayed in this reality documentary and the reality of farming, as well as the differences from China’s own agricultural ecosystem. Let’s see how the pitfalls encountered by city dwellers moving to the countryside differ between China and the UK.
T/H/I/S/ /E/P/I/S/O/D/E/’/S/ /H/O/S/T/S
Tianle
Founding Editor of Foodthink and organiser of the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market. He finds every farmer he knows more entertaining than anyone on variety shows or stand-up comedy. He has two expectations for agriculture-related films and TV: they should be either authentic or amusing. He has no dietary restrictions, though he is “allergic” to food porn.
Wang Hao
Editor at Foodthink. He was a complete novice when the first season premiered; by the second, he’s confident enough to ramble into the microphone.
Xiaojing
One of the hosts of Food Talk. While other agricultural documentaries might make you want to quit your job, eat better, or find your true self in the fields, watching *Clarkson’s Farm* just makes her laugh.
To discover more films on food and agriculture that we recommend, follow Foodthink’s film lists on Douban.
Timeline
06:29 Clarkson’s first farming blunder: buying a Lamborghini tractor the moment he arrived in the country. Where did the motoring expert go wrong?
08:04 Fun fact: Lamborghini, a brand now synonymous with supercars, actually started out making tractors.
09:17 Kaleb, a young farming expert: he has no desire for city life, instead embodying the all-round modern farmer—skilled in meteorology, mechanics, and even programming.
11:04 Why is the social status of farmers in China so low, and how can this be changed?
19:44 Why do Chinese films and TV shows about agriculture and food always seem to have a “filter” on them? Have food documentaries such as *A Bite of China* conditioned the tastes of the Chinese audience?
21:59 Beyond human error come natural disasters, with Clarkson’s farm also suffering from extreme weather. Despite being a victim of climate change himself—transitioning from a motoring show host to a struggling farmer—Clarkson remains dismissive of the locals’ views on “climate change”.
26:27 With the second season about to air, let’s see what “new plans” Clarkson has in store.
26:40 Beyond *Clarkson’s Farm*, what other films and series about agriculture and food does Foodthink recommend?
27:59 How can you start farming without making the same mistakes? Join Foodthink’s “Ecological Agriculture Internship”—also known as the “Kaleb Training Programme”. We connect young people with experienced farms to learn from the best, reducing the cost of trial and error and accelerating the learning curve of agriculture. Applications close on 17 February!
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Podcast Production Team
Planning & Production: Xiaojing
Podcast Cover: Wanlin
Music: Banong
Article Editor: Wang Hao
Contact Email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn