Racial discrimination is an issue that most people thought withered away especially with prominent events like the election of our first African-American president. However, events of recency have demonstrated that these movements are not dead, rather they have caught a second wind. The Color of Food by Raj Patel demonstrates that this discrimination has expanded into U.S. agriculture system in the form of wage disparities on the basis of race. It is evident that these wage disparities are harmful to minorities, however, it took further complementation on my part to understand the role this disparity plays in global food trade and prices.
This contemplation allowed me to connect Patel’s report with the theme brought up in the Hungry Planet paper, in that the agriculture system at home and abroad produces cheap food at the expense of others. This becomes especially harmful to those from non-wealthy backgrounds. However, I’m curious about what would happen if there was more equity in pay distribution in the agriculture system. Would this reduced discrepancy prevent racial minorities from getting jobs in the agriculture industry and/or would it simply make food more expensive?
Although this report was from 2011, it couldn’t be any more relevant to our current administration’s anti-immigration rhetoric and policies cracking down on Mexican immigration. A bigger border wall and expanded ICE activities will have unattended downstream effects on food cost because it will reduce the amount of cheap labor involved in all phases of the U.S. food system. Moreover, these anti-immigration efforts will impede our ability to sustain cheap food production and will reduce our comparative advantage in global food exports. Even with current inflamed racial tensions, the global communities need for cheap food will drive states to maintain these racial wage disparities in the long-term.
Hey Joshua!
Really great blog post! Racial disparities within the international food system is a mjaor problem. Another issue that is connected to inequalities in the food system pertains to gender discrepencies. Food shoratges as well as the required labor to gather, prepare, and serve food disproportionately burdens women more than men across the globe. In many Asian and African countries it is the job of the woman to gather and prepare meals for the family because men typically must go to work to earn money. This social structure has further implications because since the women are staying home and caring for children while also looking for ways to feed their family, they do not get jobs or earn wages and therefore do not enter the market place as independant economic actors. This reality creates a further depedancy on men, essentially deeping the patriarchal structures of society. I think it’s interesting how something that Americans take for granted (access to a grocery store) is causing further inequalities among men and women not only in the form of gender roles but also economically.
This is a very thoughtful, well analyzed piece Joshua. I like how you tied in racial discrimination and wage gaps into the idea of cheap food. Food for most of human history was/is seen as an integral part of human living and culture. For most developed countries, especially those in the West, food has been sold as a commodity rather than a necessity. Capitalism is predicated on the idea of turning a profit, so that means basic necessities such as food and water are commodified. The end result tends to be that those who have the money end up not starving, and those who don’t go hungry.
Tying this back into the racial discrimination and anti-immigration rhetoric, one can see the effects of selling food for profit has on communities with people of color. Much of the agricultural sector is comprised of immigrant farm workers and people of color who get paid very little compared to their white counterparts. Due to this, the workers of color in this sector are forced to work longer hours to make ends meet. This is the “cheap labor” that many agricultural firms desire. Increasing production, and lowering wages is the name of the game for these corporate players. In order to increase profits, firms not only need to lower wages, they need people willing to work those jobs, and that’s where the immigrant farm workers come in. By decreasing wages, in theory, this will create a surplus of cheap food (which it has to some degree). However the distribution of this cheap food is what is concerning, and it primarily affects women and people of color. Due to the wage gaps, people of color and women are forced to work more to feed their family as opposed to whites males. Firms thrive on their cheap labor, but also thrive on the commodification of food as people need food to survive. It’s a win-win for these corporate players, and to many in developed countries. The costs of this system however, is placed heavily on the workers of color within these countries, as well as the people of color around the world who are exploited for their labor. A capitalist food system which thrives on exploiting cheap labor and turning profits induces costs on those whose only options are working for low wages in order to not starve.
I wasn’t able to attend this lecture, but as I was going over the material I also found The Color of Food (Patel, 2011) particularly striking. I appreciate that you addressed the systemic nature all that was presented in this ‘reading’, if you can call it that. You clearly articulated the interdependence of all of the factors at play.
The main focus of this class has been recognizing the systems at play everywhere. And I think you’ve done a great job of showing the implications of these systems. I think your analysis of this issue can be applied to essentially all troubled systems in that the element of interdependence makes it difficult to make change, even if politics weren’t involved. As you highlight in this specific case, there would likely be negative repercussions no matter how you tried to solve the issue. And this seems to be the case for instilling change in the many systems that uphold injustices. It is often difficult to tell what unintended consequences may result.
One specific instance in which the same sort of analysis can be applied is systems surrounding our use of oil, as well as systems surrounding our use of nitrogen fertilizers, and free trade. All of these are good for the global population in some ways but are extraordinarily flawed in others. But, like the case you discuss, to fix the flaws would create other problems. So, I guess the questions we need to ask as we try to address these issues is whether the consequences are worth the results, and whether there are ways to minimize negative impacts.
Great blog post Joshua! I like the way you were able to connect the cheap food and anti-immigration policies of the United States. Your blog also got me thinking about how racism permeates food in the U.S. in other ways. For instance, I think about how low-income communities often to don’t have access to higher quality food, some don’t even have access to a reliable source of fruits and vegetables. These low-access areas are called food deserts and mainly affect poorer communities and people of color. This all ties back to racism and how it affects the economic outlooks of communities and by that extend their access to healthy food. The second part of your post about how labor affects food prices also got me thinking. With the rise of automated labor, how will the price of food change? I think there are clues in the past of agricultural development that may give us clues. For instance, the explosion of food production created by food industrialization could indicate that prices likely won’t go down, at least not drastically, but access may go up. What I suspect might happen is the market would be more artificially controlled like what is currently happening to diamonds. Overall I liked the blog post and think it has a great central thesis and is thought provoking.
Response #2
Hey Joshua,
Very insightful and thought-provoking blog post! The issues behind the anti-immigration rhetoric with regards to cheap food is a topic that I had never taken the time to process. I believe that you make a great point by acknowledging that racial discrimination is an issue that was thought to be of the past, yet with the new administration entering office, it seems to be more relevant than ever. I was specifically drawn to your blog post due to the fact that I was born and raised in the Yakima Valley, which is filled with agricultural workers who are constantly affected by wage disparities. I grew up around many families that I personally knew, who migrated from Mexico to look for a better future. After arriving here, they have been faced with many challenges that can be directly correlated to the anti-immigration rhetoric. Being able to witness first-hand the challenges these families face on daily basis is powerful. The mere thought of there being more equity in pay distributions, I believe would make a huge impact on the state of their unique situation. Additionally, the issue of wage disparities on minorities should not be a left or right issue. At its core, this is a human right issue that should be of utmost priority and addressed by the current administration in office.