Andre Carter is a senior at Tougaloo College studying mass communications with a concentration in radio/television broadcasting, public relations and advertising. R’Myni Watson is a freshman at Jackson State University studying theatre. Andre and R’Myni heard of Planet Forward’s Storyfest 2016 contest through professors at their universities. For their submission, they created a video that focused on saving local farms in Mississippi.

We asked the team a few questions to learn more about their entry.

Q: What was your inspiration behind your innovation? How did you come up with this idea?

A: Our inspiration behind our innovation — addressing how urban farming is promoting and improving the quality of health and food access in the state of Mississippi — was the decrease of family-owned, African American farming because the government is buying all of the lands. Also, this video was created to show everyone the growing epidemic of obesity in Mississippi.

Q: What was the process behind creating your submission? Why did you choose to communicate your innovation through this video format?

A: The process behind our submission was basically coming up with a strong and solid storyboard, and how it should be organized. … We decided to communicate through this format because most people genuinely learn visuals, so we decided to create a short documentary that was interesting, and informing, but also entertaining as well.

Q: Why is this innovation so important to you? Why do you think it is one of the most essential methods to help sustainable cities?

A: This innovation is important to us because the food industry doesn’t just affect a certain group of people here in Mississippi, it affects us all as a whole. With the government buying up more farms, that means more fast food restaurants will be built, which increases the obesity of Mississippi. With the decline of farms, that also brings a drastic decline in farmers markets, and fresh food for the public.

(Editor’s note: Answers edited for grammar and spelling.)