Healing Grounds Chapter 4

Last chapter of the book and last blog. We have read so much about our food system this semester and the last chapter was just as heavy. There has been so much diversity throughout the years and even now. It is completely sad and heartbreaking to hear some of these stories. We have been through so many cultures and now for the final chapter we learned about the Asian American farmers and their struggles. 

The Hmong people came to the United States during the Vietnam war as refugees. Their homeland was humid and nothing but mountains, so when they decided on farming in the desert of California it was a change. Their crops were highly diverse selling to farmers markets. Unfortunately came the many many problems this group had to endure. According to California law all workers needed insurance which would cost a lot to these small farms. Then officials would enter their farms with no translators and charge them thousands of dollar for infractions they did not understand. 

When Guzman was doing her research for soil health she stumbled upon a farm owned by Yang Moua. It was the healthiest and more diverse soil she has ever seen. As the chapter went on there was more talk about the health of the soil created by different groups. The US organic movement got the idea for compost and cover crops from the Asian continent. Chinese farmers also started to incorporate fish in rice fields for even more benefits in the fields. 

In 1882 seven out of eight farmworkers were Chinese in California. Unfortunately, a federal law was passed called the Chinese Exclusion Act which banned Chinese laborer's. These laborers still found loopholes to be able to work but since they were illegal they were stuck which extremely low wages. It is sad how diverse and separated our agricultural system is.