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Field Guides to Food

Migrant Farmworkers in South-Central Minnesota: Farmworker-Led Research and Action for Change

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Migrant Farmworkers in South-Central Minnesota: Farmworker-Led Research and Action for Change (report)
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Knowledge Source Assessment This report presents research revealing the conditions under which migrant farmworkers live and work, as well as action beginning in the late nineties to fight injustices against migrant farmworkers. This introduces the conditions leading up to the action group Centro Campesino. 180 farmworkers participated in this study, of which 91% were hired by a crew leader through contract and more likely to be forced to pay for expenses such as equipment, housing or rides (See page 3) on top of low wages and horrible living conditions (See Page 4). Minnesota's economy benefits from these farmworkers (explained on page 5, last column), and in 1999 Centro Campesino was formed to fight for farmworkers' rights. The next page in this module is an interview with the current director of Centro Campesino and the group's current actions (2012).
People are working to ensure that agricultural and food jobs pay decent wages...
...and are safe and fair for all.
This statement was based on passages from "Migrant Farmworkers in South-Central Minnesota: Farmworker-Led Research and Action for Change":
Workers also described their jobs as low paying. Only 2% of the migrant farmworkers who participated in the survey answered that seasonal canning factories pay a fair wage. (p.5) The vast majority of farmworkers surveyed thought that the jobs they work are difficult... When asked about dangers in the fields, the majority of migrant farmworkers surveyed mentioned exposure to pesticides and other chemical products while they are working. Dehydration and sun exposure were also commonly mentioned. When asked about the risks associated with factory jobs, noise and hazards related to heavy machinery operation were most frequently mentioned. (p.5)
It is also reflected in a statement by the Minnesota Milk Producers Association:
Minnesota Milk Producers Association urges both State and Federal officials to implement health care purchasing pools to provide broader access to affordable health insurance coverage, including state support for the implementation of a Minnesota Co-op Care Program.
People are working to ensure that healthy food, including adequate produce, is accessible...
...and affordable to all residents of southeast Minnesota, including the elderly and others with limited mobility.
This statement is based on passages from "Finding Food in Farm Country"...
Here, in the heart of a strong agricultural region that produces nearly a billion dollars worth of food annually, the town of Houston recently spent two years without a grocery store.
...and "Migrant Farmworkers in South-Central Minnesota: Farmworker-Led Research and Action for Change."
53% of the migrants answered that transportation was the biggest problem they encountered in Minnesota. There is no public or private transportation system available for workers to travel from their houses to their jobs.
It is also reflected in statements from the Minnesota Farmers Market Association...
There are many farmers’ market entities (and more forming) servicing farmers, growers and producers throughout Minnesota that can benefit by networking to... promote and support acceptance of food assistance benefits such as SNAP, WIC, & FMNP.
...and Slow Food USA (on a past version of their webpage).
Food is a universal right. Food that is fair should be accessible to all, regardless of income, and produced by people who are treated with dignity and justly compensated for their labor.
People are working to make community decision making processes in SE Minnesota more inclusive...
...of people from all levels of wealth and all ethnic backgrounds.
This statement was based on a passage from "Migrant Farmworkers in South-Central Minnesota."
We could all benefit from a better understanding of dominant cultural structures in the United States, and the many ways that culture impacts our actions and decisions. An inclusive approach to community decision making—one that acknowledges existing power imbalances in the United States, and the unearned access and control that many European Americans enjoy—is critical to the development of communities that encourage the participation and respond to the needs of all their members.
It is also reflected in statements by the Minnesota Farm Bureau...
Farm Bureau’s dynamic strength stems from our members at the grassroots level. People sharing ideas, seeing common wisdom, developing solid solutions...all in pursuit of improving the quality of life in a spirit of voluntary cooperation.
...Channel One, Inc...
Even beyond the impact of saving on grocery bills, the gardens also offer participants a chance to share tips and develop friendships. About 80% of the families who utilize the program are immigrants and refugees who are accustomed to planting large gardens in their home countries. The atmosphere in the gardens is one of family.
...the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture...
MISA's intention is to create opportunities for people to work cooperatively on issues of sustainable agriculture in a way that promotes synergy... [and] welcomes input from any interested parties, and will encourage healthy and vigorous debate.
...and the Land Stewardship Project.
We believe in social justice for everyone—and that means even the newest members of our rural communities... [We attain a just society by] helping young farmers find land to rent or purchase... [and] ensuring that immigrant farmers and farmers of color have access to the same farming opportunities as white farmers, and that people of color and low-income people have access to fresh, local, healthy food.
Many people are working to ensure that food businesses contribute significantly to the regional economy...
Many people are working to ensure that food businesses (such as those engaged in production, processing, distribution, and food-related events) contribute significantly to the regional economy by generating more food and jobs at a range of skill levels in SE Minnesota.
This statement was based on passages from "Marketing Study of Opportunities for Foods Grown Locally or Sustainably in Minnesota"...
In both the retail grocery and the foodservice sectors, companies are consolidating seeking to gain ever-increasing market share and power to influence the price they pay for food products. (p.9)
..."Finding Food in Farm Country"...
Moreover, if farmers and consumers fail to devise a more locally-based food system, then the outcome is likely to be further erosion of the capacity of the region to build wealth, and further harm to soil and water resources. (p.29) More money cycling through the region for food would mean more local youth could remain in their home region and make a decent living. (p.29)
...and "Migrant Farmworkers in South-Central Minnesota: Farmworker-Led Research and Action for Change."
Each year, 20,000 to 35,000 migrant agricultural workers come to Minnesota to work in farm fields and food processing plants...Some [survey respondents] noted that migrant farmworkers are the only people willing to perform the jobs offered in the food processing plants. Others suggested that the main benefit that factories and farmers receive is cheap labor. (p.1,5)
It is also reflected in statements from the Minnesota Grocers Association...
The food retail industry provides jobs for thousands of Minnesotans... Statewide, the food retail industry pays millions of dollars in local property taxes and acts as a collector for sales taxes.
...the Minnesota Pork Producers Association (on a past version of their webpage)...
Minnesota pork producers are fortunate to have two major pork processing plants [Hormel and JBS] within its borders... Research shows that each job at the farm level in hog production creates two supporting jobs in pork processing.
...and Olmsted County's "General Land Use Plan."
The vast majority of agricultural products are exported from the county with income flowing into the county. In addition to its significance as a basic sector industry, agriculture supplies raw materials to other local and regional basic sector industries...