Once the morning dew has evaporated, whole families head out into the waist-high fields to begin the harvest. The grasshoppers, butterflies, and spiders make way as human sounds replace the hum of insects. The grass is cut and then left to dry over a long lunch held under the shade of a tree. After the midday heat has subsided, the family members take on separate roles of collecting, piling, and forking the grass. Slowly, the haystacks that have characterized the Romanian countryside for hundreds of years are formed, and the fodder that supports the family’s livestock is preserved from the harsher months to come.

The practice of haymaking in Romania has changed little in centuries. Much of the process is still done by hand and involves sculpting huge, bell-shaped haystacks that protect the fodder from rain, wind, and snow. Meanwhile, the farmers’ relationship with the land, their use of old tools, and their refusal to use chemicals have ensured that their practices have little impact on the surrounding ecosystems.

Romania’s wildflower meadows and farmland are among the most biodiverse ecosystems in Europe. The grasslands are full of the sounds and movement of insects, and brim with the color and depth of the flora. This life—and all its variety—has been lost in much of Europe as large-scale farming prioritizes human consumption needs. Today, the whirring of machines has replaced the natural sounds and landscapes across much of the continent. Romania remains one of the few European countries in which farmland provides for the whole spectrum of wildlife and human life.

This photo series, titled Fodder, explores the practice of haymaking in rural Romania. It’s a landscape from which we have much to learn as we battle biodiversity loss and all its impacts around the rest of the world.