Why would a farmer in Brazil who clears rainforest to provide for his children matter to a family dinner on the other side of the world? Sam Kass suggests that the story of our food system rarely divides into heroes and villains. The truth, he argues, lives in the gray.

Agriculture is a leading driver of deforestation, and food security is a defining systemic challenge of our time. Kass reflects on why grim facts alone can leave people feeling powerless, and how storytelling can connect global issues to what people already value: their health, their families, and their communities. His perspective forms part of How to Live on Earth, a feature documentary produced by Open Planet Studios in association with the Villars Institute and Silvania, which explores how humans can work with nature rather than against it.

Sam Kass is a former White House Chef and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition under President Obama, and served as Executive Director of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign. Now a Partner at Acre Venture Partners and author of The Last Supper: How to Overcome the Future Food Crisis, he works at the intersection of health, climate change, and food systems.