This document discusses issues related to food justice, food sovereignty, and the challenges faced by farm workers. It argues that focusing only on food security without also addressing food production has led poor countries to import cheap subsidized food, hurting local farmers, economies, and cultures. Farm workers make significant contributions to food production but often do not earn living wages and face poor working and living conditions that impact their health, rights, and food access.

2.  Food Justice – food, and way it is grown and
produced, should be DISTRIBUTED fairly
 Food Sovereignty – The focus on food security,
without addressing the PRODUCTION of food, has
caused poor, food-insecure countries to import cheap,
subsidized food
 Impacts local farmers, economies, and cultures
 Advocates for LOCAL production + consumption
 Local = avoids cycle of poverty ($), reliance on foreign
imports, and long-term problems

5. “Food Security exists when all
people, at all times, have physical
and economic access to sufficient,
safe and nutritious food to meet
their dietary needs and food
preferences for an active and
healthy life”
~World Summit on Food Security, 1996

6.  F0od Distribution – NOT food production
 Political or logistical
 Political-Agricultural Practices
 Substituting commodity crops for food crops (i.e.
growing corn instead of veggies) – healthy food not
supported by US farming policy
 US’s “cheap commodity crop” exports – impacts global
and local farmers who can’t compete with these prices
 Demand for biofuels – corn and soy (decreased viable
land for food production)

7.  Food Deserts - Low-income areas >500 people or 33% of
the population live farther than one mile away (10 miles in
rural areas) from an affordable food store.

8.  Food Balance - Distance to closest grocer / Distance
to closest fast food
 2.3 million U.S. households (2.2%) live farther than a
mile from nearest supermarket with no access to a car.
 23.5 million people live in
low-income area over a
mile from nearest
supermarket
 6.5 million children live
in food deserts.

9.  Highest levels of obesity are in census tracts with no
supermarkets
 COSTS: lost quality/length of life for those directly
affected = Higher medical costs
 Link between food deserts and Medicaid use

10.  55 square miles of Food Deserts with 383,954 people,
 70% are African American
 Childhood Obesity rates in Illinois are double U.S. rates

16. ““(Farm workers) are involved in the
planting and the cultivation and the
harvesting of the greatest abundance
of food known in this society…
The ironic thing and the tragic thing
is that after they make this
tremendous contribution, they don’t
have any money or any food left for
themselves.””
~Cesar Chavez, Labor Leader &
Civil Rights Activist

17.  Farm workers have the lowest annual family incomes
of any U.S. wage and salary workers.
 Farm workers work 42 hours per week and earn ~ $7.25
an hour
 Annually, the average income of crop worker is
between $10,000 - $12,499 for individuals / $15,000 -
$17,499 for a family
 Federal poverty line - $10,830 for individual; $22,050 for
family of four (2009)
 30% of all farm workers had total family incomes below
poverty line

18.  Most farm workers are paid based on how many
buckets or bags they pick or whatever crop they
harvest = “piece rate”
 Drawbacks – Disincentive for breaks for water or shade
 Making less than minimum wage –
 Piece rate for Florida oranges is 85 cents per 90-pound
box
 Ave. productivity is 8 boxes an hour
 8-hour day – 5760 pounds of oranges = $6.80 an hour
 Labor laws are poorly enforced at best OR farm
workers are paid little to no wage = modern slavery
conditions

19. Member of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW)
in FL shows an actual farm worker paycheck, with piece
rates from tomatoes listed

23.  Farm worker unemployment rates are double those of all
wage and salary workers
 Many are day laborers – must chase crops to make a
living
 At the mercy of variable conditions like natural disasters
and bad weather
 Lack benefits that labor laws guarantee to workers in
other industries (no overtime, sick, maternity…)
 Wages have declined by 20% in the last 20 years
 Exposure to pesticides, back issues (lifting and bending
over), machines, sun/climate…

24.  Agriculture is one of the top three most dangerous
occupations in the US
 Housing – crowded, unsanitary, lack basic utilities,
isolated from public transportation…
 Exorbitant rate for rent – often crowd 10 workers into
one trailer in order to afford rent
 Children and teens – 500,000
estimated under the age or 18
 Farm worker women – given least
desired, lowest-paying jobs, and
face discrimination

27. SUMMIT COUNTY
Population – 30,000
Liquor store – ?
Fast Food – ?
Grocery Stores - ?
WEST OAKLAND
Population – 30,000
Liquor store – 53
Fast Food – 12
Grocery Stores - 0

28.  What is the first thing you see when you
enter your local corner store?
 Map the fast food restaurants in your
neighborhood.
 Map the grocery stores.
 How do the maps compare to each other?
 Where do you buy most of your food?