Hungry for Justice

Listening to the front-line communities who grow our food.

About the project

whosevoiceismissingproject

Whose voice is missing in farm intern and apprenti

Whose voice is missing in farm intern and apprenticeship programs that rely on volunteerism or near volunteerism? Who is able to take advantage of those opportunities because they have the resources and support to be able to work without a wage? Who is not able to take advantage of these opportunities?⁠

"When we think about the intersection of race and

"When we think about the intersection of race and gender, as it relates to immigrants in the food system, we see the added barrier of sexual violence. Unfortunately, there is not extensive research on this topic, but we know it is an important one. In a 2010 study, 80% of farmworker women surveyed in the California Central Valley reported that they experience sexual harassment. And we know that most of this goes unreported because of multiple reasons—including their need to provide financially for their family as a result of her households already experiencing higher rates of hunger. Not to mention the existing power dynamic between her and her employer, and if she is undocumented, that presenting yet another added layer of power dynamics, whereby she might also fear being separated from her family if she reports this injustice. And we know that family separation increases food insecurity for children and families of undocumented immigrants—so in a way, we see this cycle of food insecurity and injustice building and reinforcing itself because of the lack of supports for a group that perhaps needs it the most."⁠
⁠
-Marlysa

Sometimes it is difficult to see that a different

Sometimes it is difficult to see that a different world is possible. Here is another example of a different way. #WhoseVoiceIsMissing⁠
(English below in comment) ⁠

⁠Ekvn-Yefolecvlket owiyat yv ekvnv likat, pum vculvke tate omvlkvt tak-vpokvtes. Wacenv yvmvn yihcet estecatvlke vpokvten hvsaklatkv-fvccvn vpeyecicakvtes. Montowisen, etvlwv akvwvpkvhanat ohfvccvn resyicepeyvtet os. Hopuetake mvnettakusan momen este mvnettvlke pum mvhakv, pun fulletv, pum oponvkv emvhayēt svpeyvhanēyat vrahkv vcayēcetv kunt fullēt os. Hompetv secvfeknickv hompētayat, cvpofv hayēt, ponvttvn fullicēt, ekvnv vcayecēt fullēt owes. Pum oponvkv vcayeckv omecicen, este-cate em oponvkv tvlkuset hopuetake semvhayētayat vrahkv mvhakv-cuko mucvsen vliceceyvtet os. Monkv, nettv-setetayen pum oponvkv etemponahoyēt vpokēt owēs. Hvtv, cuko ohhayetv ohfvccv, vnrvwv eto svpaklan vpehyēt eto yv ekvnv svpvlsakvte toltēcēt seyvnicēt os; mowen, setentvckv ohlenv-mvpe svtahe-eshakan tohvpohyēt, ekvnv fakke-cate, pvhe tis, oktaha tis teyvmket setentvckvn sosiyēt, cuko omvlkvn mowet eshahicēt owēs. Cuko estowet hahiceyat ekvnv enokkicekotayat vrahkv pum vkerrickvt ontos. Nak-omvlkv yvmvn hahiceyat, pum vculvke tate enkerretv enhoporenkv tis vhesayēcēt svpeyvhanē monkvt ontowisen, kerretv mucvsakat, ekvnv vcayeckv ohfvvcv, asvpayēpēt fullēt os. Nettv estofvtis, pum vsostake fullakvhanat, pum oponvkv oponahoyetayat, hompetv secvfeknicv noricaketayat, ekvn-lvste pvtakat vcayecaketayat, pun fulletv vrahkuecēt svpeyvhanat ohfvvcvn Ekvn-Yefolecv Etvlwv akvwvpet owēs ce! Ekvn-Yefolecvlket owēyat vculvke tate vhakv espunwikakvte, vnokeckv, eyasketv, kvncvpkv, mehenwv etemocet fullēt owēs.

"Seed is the source of life and the first link in

"Seed is the source of life and the first link in the food chain. Control over seed means control over our lives, our food and our freedom…"⁠
-Dr. Vandana Shiva⁠
⁠
Photo from Working Food:⁠
"More than ever the world is waking up to just how important seeds and regional food systems are. These lovelies [were planted] our seed preservation gardens: 😍 Dixie Butterpea, Scarlet Runner Bean, Pigeon Pea (up close) and Italian Flat Bean. ❤️🌱🙏🏾For us it’s always been about working with plants that thrive in our region, taste good, seeds can be saved, has a story, can be shared."⁠
@WorkingFoodCenter & @workingfoodgnv ⁠

⁠ We can ask Whose Voice is Missing in seed savi

⁠
We can ask Whose Voice is Missing in seed saving efforts and in the credit and recognition given to those whose generations of knowledge and skill at seed saving resulted in many of the crops we enjoy today. One piece of creating a fair food system is recognizing and honoring these contributions.

Instagram post 17950852417349506

Instagram post 17950852417349506

Candice graduated from the Circles Program when we

Candice graduated from the Circles Program when we visited East Winter Garden, Florida. ⁠
During this 18 month program, she was able to meet her benchmark goals for improving her economic situation 4 months ahead of schedule. She changed jobs and went from earning $8.40/hour to earning $12/hour; she went from having to ride the bus to owning a car; and she increased her credit score 37 points. Now she is working on owning her own home. We need fair and living wages for all so that all can have a decent quality of life without having to struggle unfairly.

We need dignity in our jobs. A recognition that w

We need dignity in our jobs. A recognition that we are people, not inputs. #WhoseVoiceisMissing ⁠

To address agregious and widening wage gaps in our

To address agregious and widening wage gaps in our food system, the Agricultural Justice Project's Food Justice Certification does not allow more than 12:1 pay ratio of highest to lowest paid employees.

"If we meet the challenge of food sovereignty and

"If we meet the challenge of food sovereignty and if we address seriously the problem of hunger, we can re-energize the authenticity of our sustainability movement."⁠
⁠
-John Ikerd, Agricultural Economist⁠
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKuXfC3OemQ&feature=youtu.be

When we think about the food system of labor, we h

When we think about the food system of labor, we have to go as far back to when European⁠
settlers came to colonize the land that we now know to be the United States of America. So, this narrative truly starts with the forced removal of land, to⁠
even have land for the purpose of cultivating food. Then, we have to think about how much of the food was cultivated—who were the hands of feet of this⁠
huge task? It was through forced chattel slavery that African slaves were made⁠
to work on the land, and farm, all for free. So, when we think about this history of farming and a labor force in the U.S., it was built off of injustice, labor right violations, and wage theft, and a demand of human labor⁠
in a way that supported inhumane capitalism over the well-being of bodies of color—all for the sake of accumulating the highest amount of capital gains to increase white wealth. ⁠
⁠
Today, we see much of the same dynamics. Unfortunately, because of land that was stolen from Indigenous people, and the rescinding of land promises to newly freed slaves, we see the majority of land that is used to farm is still white-owned, with⁠
many workers of color still working the land for low wages, and little recognition for their wellbeing as humans.⁠
⁠
- Marlysa D. Gamblin,⁠
MPP, Domestic Policy Advisor, Specific Populations, Bread for the World Institute, Washington DC

When AJP attended EcoFarm in 2018 we were fortunat

When AJP attended EcoFarm in 2018 we were fortunate to hear John Ikerd speak about our sustainable agriculture movement needing to address hunger as the 1st requisite of agricultural sustainability. ⁠
⁠
"Eliminating hunger is the first requisite of agricultural sustainability. Thus far the sustainable agriculture movement has put far more emphasis on the second requisite for sustainability than on the first--on developing an ecologically sound, economically viable approach to farming."⁠
⁠
-John Ikerd, Agricultural Economist who advocated for get big or get out agriculture for 30 years of his academic career, based on the arguement that these policies could feed the country and the world, had an awakening in the 1980's when we realized the farm and economic policies he was advocating for were not working for farmer, were not working for rural communities, were not working to solve hunger and food insecurity and were not going to work for future generations. ⁠
⁠
In 1968, the CBS documentary "Hunger in America" estimated that 5% of hte US population at the time was food insecure. ⁠
⁠
In 2010 14.5% of household in the US were food insecure and 5.4% experienced very low food security.⁠
⁠
In 2018 11.1% of household were food insecure and 4.3 experience very low food security. ⁠
⁠
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKuXfC3OemQ&feature=youtu.be

We interrupt our regular programming to say: What

We interrupt our regular programming to say: What a creative way to address the question Whose Voice Is Missing! ❤

When AJP attended EcoFarm in 2018 we were fortunat

When AJP attended EcoFarm in 2018 we were fortunate to hear John Ikerd speak about our sustainable agriculture movement needing to address hunger as the 1st requisite of agricultural sustainability. ⁠
⁠
"Eliminating hunger is the first requisite of agricultural sustainability. Thus far the sustainable agriculture movement has put far more emphasis on the second requisite for sustainability than on the first--on developing an ecologically sound, economically viable approach to farming."⁠
⁠
-John Ikerd, Agricultural Economist who advocated for get big or get out agriculture for 30 years of his academic career, based on the arguement that these policies could feed the country and the world, had an awakening in the 1980's when we realized the farm and economic policies he was advocating for were not working for farmer, were not working for rural communities, were not working to solve hunger and food insecurity and were not going to work for future generations. ⁠
⁠
In 1968, the CBS documentary "Hunger in America" estimated that 5% of hte US population at the time was food insecure. ⁠
⁠
In 2010 14.5% of household in the US were food insecure and 5.4% experienced very low food security.⁠
⁠
In 2018 11.1% of household were food insecure and 4.3 experience very low food security. ⁠
⁠
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKuXfC3OemQ&feature=youtu.be

Food system workers are more likely to be food ins

Food system workers are more likely to be food insecure. No surprise when the income disparities are so vast. And many workeres are kept below full time which enables companies not to pay benefits. Support companies who have fair pay ratios of highest to lowests or average worker pay. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps has a pay ratio for ⁠
ROC's High Road Restaurants meet criteria XX⁠
AJP's Food Justice Certification requries fair farms and food businesses, including restaurants to have either a 9:1 ratio or a 12:1 ratio.⁠
⁠
⁠

"As Journalist Phillip Longman of the New America

"As Journalist Phillip Longman of the New America Foundation writes, 'These laws [ensured] that large chains headquartered in distant cities didn't come to dominate the economies of local communities.'...President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported the managing of competition. In a 1938 message to Congress on curbing monopolies, FDR made an appeal to his colleagues to consider the limits that had been placed upon the American entrepreneurial spirit: 'Men will dare to compete against men, but not against giants.'"⁠
⁠
-Jon Steinman, Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants.

According to the book Grocery Story: The Promise o

According to the book Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants, by Jon Steinman, in the 30's local groceries had a fighting chance and in that era, before modern refrigeration, stores normally did source food more locally.⁠
⁠
"After the Supreme Court declared the economic stimulus programs of the post-Depression era as unconstitutional, Congress passed two laws to replace them. The Robinson-Patman Anti-Price Discrimination Act of 1936 was the first. That’s correct — an act discriminating against price discrimination! Take a moment and revel in knowing that at one point in our history, there was an administration intent on ensuring that a small neighborhood grocery store would have access to the same products at the same prices that were afforded to the largest grocery chains in the country. The Robinson-Patman Act passed in the House with bipartisan support. This was a vision for an economy that placed people first. This bottom-up reconstruction of the American economy has been called 'the second American revolution — a period of history largely forgotten. The cosponsor of the bill, Congressman Wright Patman of Texas, was as anti-chain as they came, accusing the chains of 'sapping the civic life of local communities with an absentee overlordship, draining off their earnings to [their] coffers, and reducing independent businessmen to employees or to idleness.' The following year, the Miller-Tydings Act of 1937 was passed. It protected the practice of retail price-maintenance, thereby allowing foodmakers to set a minimum price that their products would be sold at in stores. Imagine that, before there was fair-trade coffee and fair-trade chocolate, there was domestic fair-trade everything in 1937 America!"

"We often frame the conversation about food desert

"We often frame the conversation about food deserts around the accessibility of large (corporate) supermarkets. Consolidation is one of the root causes of injustice in our food system for many stakeholders including eaters who don't have control over the quality of food they buy; to low wage workers in the food system and other sectors who can't afford enough food and can't afford transportation to a better grocery story or are too busy working too many hours to have time to cook fresh food; to family, sustainable, local and fair farmers who find it more and more difficult to sell to supermarkets because large scale groceries prefer to buy from large scale distributors; to the mom and pop community grocery stores that used to dot the landscape in this country and often offered fresh local produce and products from local family farms or at least were so plentiful that they did not maintain a monopoly and farmers and eaters had choices. Perhaps we would do better to shift our discussions of food deserts to go back a bit further in history and consider a time before the latest national corporate supermarket shut down one of their stores in a poor community. Then we can talk about community wealth generation and extraction, sovereignty, and control and address more of the root causes of the disparities we see today."⁠
⁠
-Leah Cohen, Agricultural Justice Project

What is Food Justice to you? We asked Frank Baile

What is Food Justice to you? We asked Frank Bailey, who works to build capacity of youth of color in East Winter Garden, what food justice is to him. Take a listen!⁠
@groworlandoinc

"…From the data, it is clear that food deserts e

"...From the data, it is clear that food deserts exist for both rural and urban communities of color. In both settings, there is usually a higher concentration of unhealthy, processed foods that contributes to diseases that disproportionately hurt people of color, like diabetes, obesity or high blood pressure, to name a few. Nutrition is often hidden, until the ramifications of not having good nutrition shows up in the form of poor health outcomes. These diseases are probably the most physical manifestation of this intersection between food insecurity and food injustice, where the often invisible becomes visible.” ⁠
⁠
- Marlysa D. Gamblin, MPP, Domestic Policy Advisor, Specific Populations, Bread for the World Institute, Washington DC

"…90 percent of U.S. counties with the highest I

"...90 percent of U.S. counties with the highest Indigenous populations are also among those with the highest food insecurity rates, and a huge factor in this is that many people living on or near reservations are forced to travel to cities, sometimes a distance of 100 miles or more, to purchase food at a grocery store. This is not to mention that food prices are often even more expensive in these areas, as well. In addition to Indigenous communities, only 8 percent of African Americans live in areas with a supermarket, compared to 31 percent of whites. Food deserts are a significant factor that explains why almost 94 percent of the nation’s majority African American counties are food-insecure..."⁠
⁠ - Marlysa D. Gamblin, MPP, Domestic Policy Advisor, Specific Populations, Bread for the World Institute, Washington DC⁠

"…Food insecurity is not only about not having e

"...Food insecurity is not only about not having enough food, but also about the lack of having a nutrient-rich diet. When we think about food injustice, one aspect of this is certainly the lack of affordable food that is nutritious. We see the problem of food deserts, areas that do not have access to full fledge grocery stores, as an issue that disproportionately hurts communities of color, both in urban and rural areas..."⁠
⁠
- Marlysa D. Gamblin, MPP, Domestic Policy Advisor, Specific Populations, Bread for the World Institute, Washington DC

We can ask Whose Voice is Missing? in the recognit

We can ask Whose Voice is Missing? in the recognition given the citrus companies in the town center of East Winter Garden....the voices of the farmworkers and their families living just blocks away in an area of food apartheid..that is whose voices are missing and whose contributions to the growth and success of the citris companies are not recognized, even though it was at great cost to their own health, childhoods, earnings, and their quality of life and that of their descendents. #farm #agriculture #farmlife #farmtotable #organic #eatlocal #farmer #healthy #food #countryliving #sustainability #garden #farmersmarket #countryside #horseandhoof #cattle #farmers #townandcountry #horse #farmfresh #equestrian #vegan #equine #green #horseriding

As Mr. Bob Walker's quote reflected in the previou

As Mr. Bob Walker's quote reflected in the previous post, he realized that there were perspectives missing in his memories of playing in the citrus groves. Asking ourselves Whose Voice is Missing? in our own experiences helps us see realities that are not like our own. It helps break down the lines that divide us. Cultural division is one of the root causes that perpetuates injustice. This question helps to counteract that division and gives us an opportunity for increased awarenss and understanding. ⁠
⁠
Photo Credit: Gaye Ajoy

As Mr. Bob Walker's quote reflected in the previou

As Mr. Bob Walker's quote reflected in the previous post, he realized that there were perspectives missing in his memories of playing in the citrus groves. Asking ourselves Whose Voice is Missing? in our own experiences helps us see realities that are not like our own. It helps break down the lines that divide us. Cultural division is one of the root causes that perpetuates injustice. This question helps to counteract that division and gives us an opportunity for increased awarenss and understanding. ⁠
⁠
Photo Credit: Gaye Ajoy

As is so often the case in communities that system

As is so often the case in communities that systematically experience more of the burdens of how our society is structured and fewer of the benefits, they are left to fill in the gaps in their own communities without the institutional safety nets other communities enjoy. When we visited the East Winter Garden community center to interview stakeholders about their experiences in the food system and their work and ideas on how to make it more fair, we were directed to talk with Ms. Sebrenia Brown. We also discovered that one of the many artistic tributes to community leaders that had been done by the children of the community was of Sebrenia Brown herself. We couldn't help sitting her in front of it for her interview. Beautiful and touching.

Black farmworkers and farmers in this country come

Black farmworkers and farmers in this country come from a long line of agricultural knowledge. Former Lake Apopka farmworker Linda Lee's family may have worked on conventional, mono-crop farms for little pay in inhumane conditions, but despite this, at home they grew a diversity of crops and raised livestock to feed themselves and their community. ⁠
⁠
@FarmworkerAssocFL

East Winter Garden is one of the communities we vi

East Winter Garden is one of the communities we visited and connected with for this WVIM? project. There is overlap between food system workers and areas of food disparity. We heard from Frank Bailey and other stakeholders from other areas of widespread food insecurity (like former Lake Apopka farmworker Ms. Linda Lee) about how they used to have more control and vibrancy in their communities before the industrialization and corporatization of the food and agriculture industry and changes in policies that resulted in them having less control. Follow @GrowOrlando to see what Frank and his team are doing to work to fix this in East Winter Garden. Follow the rest of our WVIM? project posts to see how these conditions are systemic and related to other injustices in the food system for farmworkers, for farmers, for processing workers, for fast food workers and for eaters.

"…So, when we think about this history of farmin

"...So, when we think about this history of farming and a labor force in the U.S., it was built off of injustice, labor right violations, and wage theft, and a demand of human labor in a way that supported inhumane capitalism over the well-being of bodies of color—all for the sake of accumulating the highest amount of capital gains to increase white wealth. Today, we see much of the same dynamics. Unfortunately, because of land that was stolen from Indigenous people, and the rescinding of land promises to newly freed slaves, we see the majority of land that is used to farm is still white-owned, with many workers of color still working the land for low wages, and little recognition for their wellbeing as humans.”⁠
⁠
- Marlysa D. Gamblin, MPP, Domestic Policy Advisor, Specific Populations, Bread for the World Institute, Washington DC

"…When we think about the food system of labor,

"...When we think about the food system of labor, we have to go as far back to when European settlers came to colonize the land that we now know to be the United States of America. So, this narrative truly starts with the forced removal of land, to even have land for the purpose of cultivating food. Then, we have to think about how much of the food was cultivated—who were the hands and feet of this huge task? It was through forced chattel slavery that African slaves were made to work on the land, and farm, all for free..."⁠
⁠
-Marlysa D. Gamblin, MPP, Domestic Policy Advisor, Specific Populations, Bread for the World Institute, Washington DC⁠
⁠
⁠

“Looking at the history of a problem is the best

“Looking at the history of a problem is the best way we can understand the roots, and therefore, prescribe a solution that best meets these realities..." ⁠
⁠
-Marlysa D. Gamblin, MPP, Domestic Policy Advisor, Specific Populations, Bread for the World⁠
Institute, Washington DC⁠
⁠
Photo Credit: Rural Women's Health Project⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠

Systemic racism (racist laws and policies) is inhe

Systemic racism (racist laws and policies) is inherent in the food system. In fact, our dominant, industrial food system relies upon racists policies and a culture of divisiveness to function. It creates disconnection between groups of people. It means when black and brown people are targeted with unfair laws, policies, and practices, those who are not targeted or affected by this don't feel compelled to change it. This allows for exploitation and inhumane conditions for many communities and groups. ⁠
⁠
Reaching across lines of division to work on healing the harms that stem from this system is one important part of the strategies to change it. Applying the question: 'Whose Voice is Missing?' can help you do that. ⁠
⁠
Many grassroots organizations and food and farming groups across the country are working on dismantling systemic racism in the food system. @PieRanch and @SoulFireFarm are farms doing this work that are also Food Justice Certified to the Agricultural Justice Project standards.

Soul Fire Farm is one of over 70 black-led food an

Soul Fire Farm is one of over 70 black-led food and farming groups that signed onto a letter regarding Justice for Black Farmers in August of 2019, advocating for changes in the way the USDA operates in order to address a long history of racists policies and practices. It demonstrates how we can and should apply the question 'Whose Voice is Missing?' to impact data. ⁠
⁠
"... While Black farmers often face many of the same challenges as other marginalized farmers, there are critical differences between different historically underserved communities. Treating all marginalized farmers as a homogeneous group ignores critical differences between us. ⁠
⁠
USDA has used terms such as “socially disadvantaged” and “historically underserved” to avoid releasing data on Black farmers and other individual racial and ethnic groups. The share of lending dollars going to Black farmers decreased during former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s term, but his administration hid that fact by refusing to release lending data by race or ethnicity. Meanwhile, they erroneously implied that lending to farmers of color had gone up, using data showing an increase in lending to “socially disadvantaged” farmers and ranchers. Data obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests later showed that this increase was solely the result of increased lending to white female operators. This is just one example among many. ⁠
⁠
Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, new, LGBTQ, and female farmers are not interchangeable. We urge you to ensure that USDA stops treating us as such. All programs and initiatives to address discrimination or increase opportunities for farmers of color should have race-specific benchmarks. USDA should also be required to release program data annually by race, ethnicity, and gender...." ⁠
⁠
excerpt from the letter dated August 31, 2019

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