In the Name of Wellness

“In the Name of Wellness” is a long-term project that documents the human and environmental consequences of intensive superfood monocultures in Latin America and investigates the phenomenon of environmental neocolonialism, its mechanisms, and its impact on ecosystems and local populations in order to support the market for a diet that is defined as healthy in western countries.

Through a series of stories from different countries, the project aims to connect the dots of an invisible line that runs through a widespread issue affecting the entire continent, its native resources, and communities that have already been severely impacted by the effects of climate change.

The project is now composed of 4 chapters:

1. Purple blood (Brazil). The human and environmental consequences of the açaí monoculture in the Amazon region, the effects on biodiversity, and child labor.

2. Green gold and dry earth (Chile). The serious water emergency caused by intensive avocado monoculture.

3. The golden grain of the Andes (Bolivia). The social and environmental impact of quinoa monoculture.

4. The bitter harvest (Argentina). The human and environmental cost of soya global empire.

Karl Mancini

Since I was a child in Rome, encouraged by my grandfather, I have focused my attention on faraway countries and their peculiarities, geography, people’s cultural differences, and literature.

In 1999, I moved to New York to take classes at the International Center of Photography (ICP) where I studied photojournalism. I have visited more than 90 countries, with a particular preference for Asia and South America. I returned to Rome and pursued a Masters Degree in contemporary journalism.

I have worked as a freelance photojournalist and writer, following socio-historical and political events and focusing on issues such as gender violence (to which I have been working on for 15 years), the aftermath of war, minorities, human rights, environment, migration, the tragic story of landmines (to which I have dedicated years of work).

My work has also been exhibited in more than fourteen countries and in many important international festivals earning several awards.

In 2022 and in 2023 I was a grantee from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting for my environmental long-term work "In the name of wellness" on the relation between superfood crops and Latin American neocolonialism, and my research on the effects of climate change on people and on the planet.

In 2023 I was a recipient of the Environmental Investigative Journalism grant from the Journalism Fund Europe for a socio-environmental investigation I'm doing with the journalistic platform of which I am the founder, Ronin.

My long-term work, “Vivir para contarlo / Live to tell”, is on gender violence and women’s movements that fight for human rights. This work has been awarded the Sony World Photography Award, Luis Valtueña International Humanitarian Photography Award, Days Japan International Photojournalism Award, and others, and was selected among the finalists of the prestigious Alexia Foundation Professional Grant, and Leica Oscar Barnack Award.

My stories have been featured in some of the most prominent media from all over the world and I regularly collaborate with International NGOs and international magazines and newspapers such as Newsweek, Stern, Der Spiegel, National Geographic, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair, CNN, GEO, La Repubblica and many others.

In 2015, I published my first photographic book, ITALIANSKIJ, about the Italian community in Crimea persecuted during the Stalinian Purges.

I'm currently freelance and in 2023 I founded Ronin with colleagues Alfredo Bosco and Giacomo d’Orlando, a platform that combines different experiences and approaches to photojournalism.

Recently, I have been working on environmental issues related to the socioeconomic consequences of neocolonialism.