Large Scale Agriculture as a Racialized Institution
Food is at the center of every culture. It creates traditions and a sense of community to people from all different backgrounds. However, large scale agricultural practices have forced a homogenous food system that often overlooks the culture of all groups interacting within the system. Think about the last time you went to the grocery store. Where did the food come from that you purchased? Or better yet, do you know who took part in the production of the food you are eating?
Turns out the food that you have been eating is coming from an unjust system created by large scale agriculture. Minority groups have had to pay the highest price, a price that is often rendered invisible to the consumer. By comparing and contrasting the work experiences of Latinos (primarily working within California’s agriculture) and African Americans whom own farmland in the South. Both groups, from different cultures, face similar stories of oppression and prejudice that accompanies working within the American agricultural system.
The current food system allows us (as Americans) to consume without concern of the ethics behind the food. This division between the consumer and the producer has created an “us vs. them” scenario where Americans have dehumanized the people whom cultivate their food. Because we do not see the faces of the laborers, they are not a reality. In “Farmworker Food Insecurity and the Production of Hunger in California” the authors explain the harm of “the other” by describing a process that possesses, “A labor force that can be viewed as undeserving of the rights and benefits afforded to citizen workers and that can be scapegoated during periods of economic downturn” (Brown and Getz, 136.) By separating American citizens from “illegal immigrants” we are allowing ourselves to forget about them. Because they are not part of the larger majority our programs have forgotten about them.
Similar to the struggles Mexican immigrants face is the discrimination that African American landowners have faced in the South. Because African American landowners most often own small scale farms they lack the proper means to participate in the educational experiences that are sometimes provided for them. This is a double edged sword because if the landowners were to leave their farms to participate in educational programs they would take an economic hit due to a loss in labor. However, if these farmers do not take the time to learn how to make their farms more economically stable they will surely fail quicker. As suggested by Jess Gilbert and Gwen Sharp, “Increasing the farm income of black farmers will be difficult because black farmers generally are unwilling to take risks, lack access to capital, and do not have information on new management practices” (Gilbert and Sharp, 14.) African American farmworkers have been put in a position where it is difficult for them to break out of tradition. Similar to Mexican Immigrants local group efforts need to recognize this struggle and create a system that reaches out to farmers rather than waiting for the farmers to come to them.
The agricultural system is a system that has set up minorities for failure. Both of these minority groups lack access to the programs put in place to help them because of the corruption within the system. The bottom line is that this system is clearly not working. It is a scary thought to feel that this problematic food system is so embedded in our culture that it is going to take a revolution to change the way the general public views their food sources. Because we are a country whose agriculture originated from a system of discrimination and slavery we are going to continue to see similar patterns until there can be a shift in the complete paradigm revolving around our food sources.
Works Cited
Do you think a revolution will have to take place in the big agricultural corporations/ governmental departments, or do you think the corruption within the system can be combated by more grassroots approaches? It is important to look at inequities in all aspects of the food system- like how the “Bringing Good Food to Others” article by Guthman looks at whitened cultural histories and food justice relief efforts. It is important that you bring up “The current food system allows us (as Americans) to consume without concern of the ethics behind the food”. How do we bring those ethics into the food system? Do we need to change our current ethics first? How?
I appreciate the perspective provided in this post. The inequality that is prevalent in our food system is so often overlooked as it is much easier not to think about where your food comes from when you’re shopping at a grocery store. I would like to think that the inequalities could be somehow rectified without a revolution, however, I am starting to believe that that may be the only way to see real change. The financial incentives in place to take advantage of poor minority groups to increase profits of large agribusiness companies are a driving force in this inequality. To justify the poor and unethical treatment of the people that work to bring us the food we eat every day these people are demonized, examples of this can be seen in the anti-immigration movement. At the same time, these large agribusiness companies continue to push for an increase in profits at the expense of human capital and when they succeed, they are rewarded by an increase in the value of the stock of their company. This is a broken system that is difficult to not participate in. Can this racialized institution of large scale agriculture change as the human geography of America evolves? We will have to wait and see.
I think you are very correct and made some excellent points. It is overwhelming to think just how corrupt our food system, and economic and political systems for that matter really are. I really like how you framed the externalities of the costs of human wellbeing as “us vs. them”. Labeling and advertising is made to look so happy and friendly. If only labels and advertising showed the truth about how that food really got here, would that serve as a wakeup call?
I agree with you that the agriculture system has many many flaws and you do a good job pointing them out. I feel like the system is set up to fail everyone, not just the minorities. I feel like our country as a whole is trying to recover from our past discriminatory ways and the minorities have taken the largest hits (in terms of economic and social progress), but everyone is feeling the effects of this. The government is subsidizing crops that are not beneficial to our health, and because of this our society is suffering nationwide. Hopefully we continue to move forward or else a revolution will not only become a public outcry, but a demand. I love how you mention the us vs. them because right now that is exactly how it feels. Who are these farmers that are allowing and supporting Big Agriculture and how do we find a common ground?