This article talks about how many farmworkers are among the most food-insecure populations in the United States. Despite them working in one of the most productive and profitable agricultural regions in the world. Many of them struggle to access enough food for a healthy life. Many of them and their families experience chronic food insecurity and hunger. They say in the article that food insecurity among farmworkers is not a natural occurrence but is structurally produced within the political economy of agriculture. They are often paid very low wages and face seasonal employment, and many of them lack labor rights and workplace protections. Many farmworkers are also undocumented immigrants making them more susceptible to exploitation.
This is a systematic issue rooted in economic and social inequalities. The paradox of hunger among food producers highlights the failure of the current agricultural system to provide for those who sustain it. The authors call for policy interventions to improve farmworker wages, labor protections, and access to food assistance programs.
I find it interesting that the people who provide us with food and put so much hard work into growing the crops and harvesting them are the ones who are among most food-insecure populations. The authors do a good job at explaining how this is a deliberate outcome of economic and political systems that exploit agricultural labor. I find in every article that we have read so far that all the authors say food is a basic human right and I agree. Everyone should have access to fresh healthy food especially those who are growing it!
2 comments:
I absolutely agree with you that this paradox of hunger among food producers is a failure of our current agricultural system. The fact that the people who grow and provide food for us can not even afford food themselves is appalling. I would think that if you are surrounded by food all the time, you would have no problems with hunger - but I guess that's the paradox. I would also think that because food producers contribute so much to society and everyone is impacted by them, that people would care more about farmers access to food. I wonder if many people in the United States do not realize that food insecurity among farmers is such a widespread problem.
I completely agree with you! It is horrible how much hard work farmworkers put into growing crops and supporting the population, yet they get the short end of the stick. It is not fair and sad how exploited our agricultural labor system is.
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