I’m an independent journalist and photographer focusing on biocultural diversity, traditional knowledge and food sovereignty.
I specialize in writing and photographing features about traditional land stewardship, water management, agricultural methods and culinary practices, and their relationships with culture, biodiversity and a changing climate. In my work, I seek to illuminate the interconnections between biological, cultural and linguistic diversity, the importance of their preservation and what their often-converging loss means. I’m drawn to mountains, drylands and other remote corners and places in between and curious about what we can learn from those who inhabit them. I hope my work fosters curiosity, reciprocity with the environment and a sense of wonder and accountability towards our embattled but magnificent world.
My work has appeared in the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Atlas Obscura, Al Jazeera, Nature Middle East, Earth Island Journal, The New Humanitarian, Equal Times, Weapons of Reason, EATEN: The Food History Magazine, The Global Observatory, World Politics Review, Open Canada, Justice Info, Middle East Eye, Al-Fanar Media and others, and has been supported by journalism fund.eu
In addition to writing and photography, I also provide editing and research services.
I hold a MSc. in Human Security from Aarhus University and a BA in Geography, with distinction, from the University of Victoria. I grew up in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies and I’m currently on the move after chapters in an Andalusian village, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Egypt. I’m always working on my Spanish, and I’m studying Persian in fits and starts.
For commissions, collaborations, story ideas or to say hello: kira.a.walker[at]gmail[dot]com or +34 625 952 495 ( Signal / Telegram / WhatsApp )