Amidst this crisis, it is difficult to not feel useless at times, especially for someone who is used to being such a busy-body. Learning about and reflecting on the world food system sparks inspiration, yet makes me long for the days when I worked on the UW Farm. Like many, I am out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and miss the long, yet rewarding days on the farm. Being so idle these days, I realize I sometimes took my wholesome farm life for granted, with access to local produce daily and constantly learning about the intricacies of organic food production. It seems that many people see being a farmer as a relatively easy job, in terms of the little education required. However, farming demands such fine attention to detail and an understanding of how farms operate cohesively as a system. 

Trying to feel connected to the outside world in some way, I came across an article on undocumented farmworkers while scrolling through news and politics. The article, by the New York Times, explained how immigrant farmworkers, most of which are undocumented, have been prescribed ‘essential work’ letters that prevent punishment for working during stay at home orders. While these letters don’t protect from deportation, measures have been shifted from ordinary undocumented workers to those who pose a threat to public safety.’ This allows these essential workers to feel more at ease, despite the high risk they are to contracting coronavirus. It is ironic to me that it took a public health crisis for the government to realize that immigrants are beneficial to our country, especially farmworkers. How can we continue to have the stigma of immigrants being ‘criminals’ and detrimental to the US, when in fact they are ensuring food safety for so many Americans? I resonate with these farmers, as I understand how crucial the agricultural sector is to the sustaining the well-being of a country. 

During this crisis, it is important to analyze systemic inequalities that are becoming more apparent, like the many hardships imposed on immigrant workers. It is these under-paid ‘essential workers’ that are holding up the upper class in America, and it is only now that society realizes how reliant the wealthy are to the poor. Deploying systems thinking and viewing the food system through a broader lens can help to reveal these inequities and understand how to restructure such weak points. Next time you take the convenience and selections at grocery stores for granted, reflect on the many hard workers that ensure food security across the country. 

-Reily Savenetti

Sources:

Jordan, Miriam. “Farmworkers, Mostly Undocumented, Become ‘Essential’ During Pandemic.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/us/coronavirus-undocumented-immigrant-farmworkers-agriculture.html.