There is one quintessential quote that I believe perfectly sums up my view on the relationship between general society and its lowest social classes: “The greatest nations are defined by how they treat their weakest inhabitants.” I hold this quote to be true and measurable in our modern societies. I would like to add that this quote by, Journalist, Jorge Ramos does not refer to being weak as in the traditional sense of lacking the power to complete an action, but in the manner of those who are not high in status. How, we as a society, treat those that need basic necessities and help to live day-to-day defines our collective mentality. Some communities that face difficulty could inconclusively include immigrants, farmers, and communities of color. Immigrants are essential to this country and how much we go out of our way to help said immigrants feel welcome is of paramount importance. We can consider ourselves righteous if we make room and delight in helping immigrants acclimate to a way of life in our country to which they seem fit. If we cannot do this we should feel deep shame as we have not been able to complete a task that is much necessary to our legacy and the growth of our nation in many avenues. There are other communities besides immigrants that are fighting hard to survive. In America, specifically, small-time farmers are being increasingly bought out by bigger corporate conglomerates that have effectively reached an economy of scale. Farmers are feeling the financial squeeze by behemoth companies, by a piling stack of bills, and by a steadily declining purchasing power because of their profession. What was once seen (and still is) as a very noble profession has become increasingly devalued. Farming is an industry that is being contemporarily run by many communities of color from different racial backgrounds. It is already difficult enough to “make” it in America as an immigrant or a person of color (or both). It takes real resilience to be successful in the farming community as a person from a minority background. This resilience has been highlighted again and again through stories in “The Color of Food.” Excerpts from the book, like the stories of Pang Chang and Renard Turner bring home the struggle that these agricultural professionals and artisans had to go through to be successful in their environments. Throughout the span of our class, we have been actively surveying the lives of people of color and their experience of wrangling with their cultural identities. Many of these experiences have required tremendous amounts of persistence to endure. Some of these stories, such as the poem Cruelty-Free Mexican Food by Manuel Avalos show the struggle of ethnic minorities to adapt to an ever-changing America. Even though the situations of agriculturalists of minority backgrounds may seem grim, there have been great efforts of local activism to support farming endeavors. Especially in the Bay Area of California, many upstarts have a goal of helping agricultural professionals survive in a tough climate (literally and figuratively). The adversities of agriculturalists from a number of diverse backgrounds are not for naught. These experiences show the hardships that many communities go through to survive in America. They serve as a reminder for those of us who are better off to give to the broader community. The significance of these triumphs serves as a measurement stick to further show what we all need to do as a society to support those who put food on our table whenever a farmer succeeds.
Acclimating to a new country is tough. As the son of two Indian immigrants to America, I have seen this struggle first hand. Leaving everything you have ever known to come to a completely new country with no connections, few resources, and minimal wealth is a very difficult task: one that Pang Chang knows too well. Pang Cheng left Laos and fled to the United States as a refugee of conflict in his area during the Vietnam War (pg 145–156, Bowens). He and his people (known as the Hmong) left their native lands in China, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand dispersed throughout the world (with the highest concentration to America) to find a better life not riddled with war and conflict. As a previous agricultural society, farming came as a way of survival for the Hmong. Unfortunately, there were large barriers to entry. It was very difficult for new immigrants to acquire capital, land, and farming equipment/materials in a country in which the language was unfamiliar. Like many farmers in his position, Pang Chang has struggled, persevered, and broken through to assimilate to American society as a farmer. “farmers like Pang Chang have managed to overcome the challenges of being transplanted into another world, much like the trees he grows,” (pg. 145–156, Bowens). Cheng recalls coming to America with no English skills and going to ESL classes to learn how to communicate. “I was farming all my life in Laos. It’s what I did, and once I settled here the first thing I knew to do was what I know best: farming,” (pg. 145–156, Bowens). He got to work, partnering with the University of California’s Agricultural Extension Office to gain a trusted advisor and knowledge on how to make sure his plants would thrive. He greatly credits the workshops the Office puts on to his success. Peng’s journey, although difficult, shows us that immigrants can truly come to America with nothing and learn how to thrive. Pang’s struggle also shows us what works in correspondence to his success. He benefited from the efforts of the Agricultural Extension Office as well as the USDA to become successful in his endeavors. His success shows that we as a society should support these programs so that more farmers like Pang can succeed.
The struggle of an agrarian lifestyle is still difficult for those who are locals. Unlike Pang, Renard Turner and his wife grew up in the United States. They run a well-known family farm named Vanguard Ranch. Turner reminisces on how hard it was for him to get a loan to start a farm. He explains how he is still in debt because of the loan but is hopeful that he will be able to pay off in the next year. Turner is a big advocate for being self-sufficient in the farming industry. He works very hard to be able to make his farm self-sustaining. He notes how hard it is not to sell out to big conglomerate companies in the industry, but does not want to give up his connection with the land. Turner prizes diversification of products as the way to his success. There is a great lack of African Americans in the farming industry: this inadequacy is one that Turner is all too familiar with. “ And finding local people of color to support us out here has been painfully slow. In fact, in our experience, we have found no African American folks in our area that are willing to come work on our farm in exchange for fresh produce. It’s either because they have enough space to grow their own garden or it’s because they want nothing to do with the farm. It’s an uphill battle to find people of color that have an interest in farming. I think it gets back to what I call the ‘anti-agricultural Blacklash’ where Black folks are still equating farming with slavery. But nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, it is hard work, but at least we are doing for self,” (pg 132–144, Bowens). The absence of African-Americans in the agricultural industry has left discrimination in the process of gaining access to support from governmental programs. “Many minority farmers don’t even know the programs are out there and when we do, we go and there aren’t people in the office that look like us. This leaves room for problems of discrimination or no one who will take the time to walk us through the paperwork and processes. That’s still a major issue with the USDA, and I don’t think it’s necessarily going to go away, because discrimination is ingrained in our society. I think it’ll take a long time if it ever does go away,” (pg 132–144, Bowens). Turner’s struggle with self-sufficiency is one of many small family farms that have to face. As a society, if at all possible, we have to go out of our way to buy from local agricultural outlets. This way many more family farms do not have to struggle to find self-sufficiency, financially, and otherwise.
The immigrant’s strife for acclimation in American does not end in the agricultural food. A poem by the name of Cruelty Free Mexican Food by Manuel Avalos describes the immense struggle ethnic restaurants have had to go through to compete in the market. The orator mentions the influx of techies that have gentrified California’s Silicon Valley, the early Spaniards invading and exploiting the Aztec populations in Mexico, and a lady demanding cruelty-free food at a Mexican restaurant (Ávalos). Because of our proximity to Silicon Valley and the effects of gentrification in our local neighborhoods, the topics Manuel talks about in his are especially close to our hearts. “Ask for a low price, but forget about the human tax for back-breaking labor,” (Ávalos). The orator of this poem highlights how “the customer is always right” mentality has hurt his community again and again. How could they ask for more, when they have already taken so much. Manuel goes into deep detail on how his people are still being exploited for their labor, for their food, and their crops to this day. The immigrant struggle does not stop in the fields, many ethnic businesses need to be supported for communities to thrive.
Many innovators in the Bay Area have seen the need for a more sustainable approach to agriculture (especially in immigrant communities) and have come to answer the call. Bay Area solutions such as Wild and Radish advocate for a community-based lifestyle that is closer to the land. Their main goal is to make membership into the farming community more accessible for those who come from low income or diverse backgrounds (Henry, pg. 30). Another non-profit named Planting Justice has also come on the scene as an approach to make agriculture more inclusive and accessible to all. This Oakland-based non-profit aims to teach formerly incarcerated and youth how to plant and maintain community gardens. In the long-term, through the support of the Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture, Planting Justice hopes to expand its reach to the broader community as a conglomeration of land conservation, agricultural production, and affordable housing (Henry, pg. 30). Another barrier that is affecting minorities of all standings in the Bay Area is housing. One comment you will always hear about Silicon Valley (and California in general) is that housing is virtually unaffordable. Housing makes up more than 30% of the average family’s income, which financial planners often caution against. One group has caught media headlines in their attempt to bring awareness to this burgeoning issue. Mom’s 4 Housing is a group of women that grew up in Oakland and have seen the devastating effects that a host of economic factors such as gentrification has done to ravage their beloved homes. To protest, this group occupied a “portfolio house” that was in disarray and was off-of the market. “At the end of last year, Moms 4 Housing, a group of Oakland-born unhoused and marginally housed community activists, began a campaign to face these issues head-on. They planned occupation of one home that had been sitting vacant for years, setting their sights on fighting gentrification, institutional poverty, and a speculative housing market that’s completely transformed the city that they grew up in. It garnered attention worldwide, and now, in the wake of COVID-19, their actions have taken on a whole new context,” (Hahn). It is interesting to note that there are more houses sitting vacant in the Oakland area than there are homeless persons in the same area. “Vacant homes are abundant in Oakland — according to the latest U.S. Census data, there are 5,898, enough to house the city’s homeless population, estimated last summer at 4,071 people,” (Hahn). One more issue that Oakland’s citizens face is the availability of fresh foods. Oakland is considered to be a food desert. A food desert occurs when fresh, “healthy” foods are of low availability from conventional market places such as grocery stores. This can have big impacts on the development of young children and adolescents as well as pregnant moms. New innovative ideas have been set forth to bring healthier foods to malnourished kids. A new grocery store called Community Grocery was funded by local residents to bring healthier alternatives to West Oakland neighborhoods (News). Another startup, Square Roots, aims to bring high-efficiency farms inside a trailer to urban areas across America (Kolodny). They have managed to grow mint, basil, and herbs without pesticides inside of a shipping crate retro-fitted with LED lighting and irrigation systems (Kolodny). This shipping crate is portable and is also a potential solution to the food desert in Oakland. This is all but a couple of solutions to the many factors that have come together to create a perfect storm for immigrants and the farming community alike — there is much we can do to help.
Immigrants in agriculture are one of society’s most vulnerable communities. Farmers have become a dying breed as the career path becomes less sought after and less fruitful. Through the struggles of the many testimonies we have read, it is very easy to see the daily struggles migrant farmers have to go through to thrive in their communities. Obstacles such as barriers to entry, racism, and events of the past require great persistence for farmers to overcome. Although many outcomes look dire for the modern-day immigrant farmer, many grassroots efforts have literally sprung up that aim to help farmers and re-unite urban dwellers with the connection to the land they may have forgotten. We too can do our part to support our local farmers. By buying through farmer’s markets, buying organic, and supporting restaurants that source their ingredients locally, we can help to sustain the diversity we hope to see in the farming space. It is a win-win as locally-sourced food is fresh (the taste is distinctively noticeable) and farmers can make a comfortable livelihood. By purchasing locally-grown foods we can use our “dollar-votes” to put our support behind what we as a consumer want in the marketplace. We can use this power to make sure more fresh, organic, and local alternatives are available to compete against en-masse produce from factory farms. The struggles of the farmer are not in vain as their victories show us how we as a society can grow closer to our agricultural roots. The plight of every farmer results in food on our tables; as a society, we need to optimize our resources so that farmers can become self-reliant. I implore you to find ways to support farmers in your area. When a farmer succeeds in their struggle, society as a whole succeeds.
Work Cited
“Portrait 4.” The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming, by Natasha
Bowens, New Society Publishers, 2015, pp. 145–156.
“Portrait 3.” The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming, by Natasha
Bowens, New Society Publishers, 2015, pp. 132–144.
“Manuel Ávalos — “Cruelty Free Mexican Food”” YouTube, uploaded by Button Poetry, Sep
19 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttl7WHTaanA
Henry, Sarah. “Hungry For Change.” Berkeley Food Institute, Berkeley Food Institute,
2018, food.berkeley.edu/hungry-for-change/.
Hahn, Rachel, et al. “These Moms Fought for a Home-And Started a Movement.” Vogue,
12 May 2020, www.vogue.com/article/moms-4-housing.
News, Bay City. “Community Grocery Opens in West Oakland’s Former Food Desert.”
NBC Bay Area, NBC Bay Area, 1 June 2019,
www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/community-grocery-opens-in-west-oaklands-former-food-desert/155050/.
Kolodny, Lora. “Kimbal Musk’s Square Roots Is on a Mission to Feed the World — and
Eventually Astronauts on Mars.” CNBC, CNBC, 12 Nov. 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/11/12/kimbal-musk-and-square-roots-hope-to-feed-the-world-and-someday-mars.html.
