Before reading this article, I thought of farmers markets as an incredible resource for exchanging cultural foods, learning about farmers and consumers from different racial backgrounds, and bringing people closer to healthier food options. After reading the article, I still believe that this vision can one day become reality, however, I am also far more educated about some of the fundamental issues that farmer's markets need to resolve. The main issue presented in this article is the lack of diversity and the predominantly white group of sellers and consumers present at farmer's markets. Several reasons for this are explained throughout the article, but what caught my attention most was the lack of representation for the laborers that don't get to interact with consumers.
When consumers attend farmers markets, they most likely feel a sense of pride. In their mind, they are supporting their local farmer and taking the necessary steps to improve our food system. However, many of these consumers are looking past the most valuable component to this entire operation: how this food is being produced. The whiteness present at these farmer's markets is amplified when consumers associate white vendors with the face of sustainable crop production. Their vision is constricted to the confines of the market itself. This makes it very easy for them to forget about the backbone of the operation which consists of farmworkers from various backgrounds who desperately need improvements to their compensation and recognition if any change is going to occur.
One of my favorite parts about the article is when the authors share their firsthand experience at some of the farmer's markets, including real-life, unscripted dialogue that they heard from attendees. Hearing some of these interactions and the lack of awareness found at these markets makes this situation a lot clearer and easier to comprehend. Based on how many of these consumers view the idea of a farmer's market, it's easy to see how the image of the white farmer has become such a prominent symbol in traditional American values. Hopefully soon, every person and every component of a food production system will be equally represented to the eye of the public, and hopefully, a symbol can emerge which depicts the true diversity of modern agriculture.
1 comment:
That sense of pride and feeling like you are helping your community is a wonderful feeling. I find myself feeling similarly when shopping or eating local. This being said it's a downer when you hear about behind the scenes and it's a completely different story. One of my old jobs was at a restaurant in my home town. A lot of the attention was given to the waitresses and the hosts and they received most of the praise. The people that seemed to get less of that were the cooks and the dishwashers. In this place they did happen to be Hispanic while the front staff were predominantly white. Intentional or coincidence, I'm not sure. However, while working there I got to know these people and become friends with them. I was also able to learn so much from these co workers due to their diverse background. There were shifts were they would teach me about some of the food they liked and other shifts were we went back and taught one another a few new words in our different languages. Should I not have worked there the likelihood of me seeing or even talking to them would be slim to none and I wouldn't have learned some of the things that I did. I know it's not quite the same but getting to know the people that were working behind the scenes was a lot nicer and offered a whole lot more than working with the people that you would normally see at establishments like this.
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