Bringing Fair Trade Principles to Organic Production
When you buy organic, you know you're not subsidizing pesticides that contaminate your food and drinking water, or toxic chemicals that poison farm workers and their communities. You also avoid financing excessive greenhouse gas pollution that is destabilizing the climate. But, buying products produced in the USA or overseas with a label that says "USDA Organic," doesn't necessarily guarantee a living wage or humane working conditions for farm workers, many of whom in the US and elsewhere are migrants with little bargaining power.
Agribusiness and industrial slaughterhouses and food processors regularly exploit workers by illegally withholding wages, creating dangerous working conditions, providing inadequate housing and transportation, and using violence and intimidation to prevent workers from standing up for their rights. Meanwhile, laws regulating labor in agriculture provide few or no protections and benefits to farm workers. While the overt slavery of 19th century plantations and sweatshops has been outlawed, modern-day slavery has yet to be eradicated from US agriculture. Even on some organic farms, or in organic food processing facilities, OCA has learned over the years that workers are exploited.
The OCA began addressing farm worker abuse in 2005 by joining the Domestic Fair Trade Working Group (DFTWG). Once the DFT standards, certification, and labels are in place, health and justice-minded Americans will be able to vote with their consumer dollars for organic products which are not only healthy and environmentally sustainable, but fairly-traded and equitably produced as well.
Another way to support decent wages, benefits and working conditions for farmers and farm workers is to buy organic and transition to organic food from local family farmers at farmers markets, through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) organizations, or through Consumer Cooperatives. In addition there are a limited number of US-grown products bearing the United Farm Workers label.
Ultimately, we need to move from a system where farmers and workers' rights are for sale in a niche market to system of laws and certification where fair trade, sustainable and organic are the norm. Even as we support domestic fair trade labels, the organic movement needs to push for federal legislation to restore basic labor rights to all agricultural workers-especially immigrants.
Infinite Health Resources does not at any point, for any circumstances suggest that you do not follow or stop medical advice of your physician. We do not advocate any drugs that has not been prescribed by your physician, nor suggest that we are medical doctors nor are we giving medical advice. Infinite Health Resources is here purely as a resource. |
