At the very beginning of the article they do a great job at addressing the idea that people aren’t aware of the “livelihood” of farmers. I think it still is so difficult to determine what food security is, and just as difficult and wrong to put labels on people who are less fortunate. I agree with the idea that this is a “lens through which to consider the highly unequal, uneven dynamics of global agricultural production, trade, and consumption.” Through this idea we can create a better understanding of what led us to current food security issues. While they do admit to little research has been done in regards to hunger and nutrition in the agricultural workforce they do point out the results of recent studies. The FFFSA and California Institute for Rural Studies conducted a survey of 454 farmworkers and focus groups. At the conclusion of this we understand that it’s a bigger challenge than anticipated to study and “put a number” on food security as a national, let alone a global issue.
Looking into the root cause of food security amongst farmers, the Fresno area in California contributes heavily to this issue. The most productive farm in the US sitting there with a largely debatable amount of underpaid workers being the core is the main issue. With 20% of the population being at or below the federal poverty level it shows the drastic scale of wages we have. It mathematically shouldn’t be possible to make $3.7 billion and let it all get away from the people in that very county. While it may be hard to provide direct house to house data of food security we can see the struggle a majority of farmworkers have by looking at the numbers. The low wages of farmworkers go along with poverty and food insecurity. With the FFFSA finding factors like income, documentation, migratory status and food stamp use all being related to food security I think we need to notice a trend. Income being the largest factor in all this makes sense. I hate to talk about the money part but we can’t ignore it. When I see that homes classified as food insecure average anywhere from $542-$319 a month for income I really am confused. In 4 or 5 days of work, getting paid bi-weekly I can get paid more than this. So the wages are either incredibly, unbelievably, scandalously flawed, or something else is wrong. I know it’s wrong to compare myself and the privilege I’ve had in being able to find “high paying” jobs, but it helps me understand the situation more and this comparison is really difficult to me. I can’t imagine someone supporting a family, living their adult life, feeding kids, anything like that on these wages. When looking at it like this you can’t help but get upset at the people who get to take home even a small percent of that $3.7 billion in sales and be happy with themselves and boast that. It’s a sad system that we really can’t change, we can bring awareness and push as hard as we can until someone “up top” see’s the true issues at hand.
1 comment:
Especially considering that PA has one of the lowest state-wide minimum wages across the country, it really does come as a shock of how little money some impoverished areas can make. I believe another large part of the inability to afford food comes from having other bills and debts to pay, leaving little room for food. We think of food being a necessary expense, and it is, but when you can't even pay off every necessary expense a choice needs to be paid. Either pay rent and stay hungry without being evicted, or get evicted and be hungry again in a week once the money saved runs out. This isn't some unknown, how people live in and get to this level of poverty is something you just need to ask about, but I do think most people aren't aware of the conditions at the poverty line. Ultimately, it's hard to figure out how to fix these issues when you don't even know what it looks like, so any food justice should be prefaced with knowing the on-the-ground conditions people are living beyond just a $$$ number on graphs.
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