Imperial County

Imperial is the youngest and poorest county in California and one of the main producers of winter vegetables, salads, grain, and alfalfa in the United States. The demand for water is enormous--old water rights ensure Imperial County vast quantities of water from the Colorado River. Here, hard-working people, especially Hispanics, labor in the fields to the point of exhaustion, while the homeless, the displaced, and the downshifters live the flip-side of the American Dream. Berlin-based photographer Lars Borges dedicates his book project to these people in an effort to point out the effects of unbridled global capitalism on humans and nature.