Program on the Environment

Industrial agriculture in the United States operates as a system of environmental and social violence that hides throughout rural areas consumers may not be exposed to or reminded of on a day-to-day basis. The agricultural industry is exempted from a series of labor and environmental regulations under the guise of ensuring affordable and abundant food production without interference yet the societal impacts are inevitable. My positionality as a third-generation farm worker, a desire to intervene in the discourse of agricultural and labor policy is showcased throughout this research. My internship at the UFW Foundation (sister-organization of the United Farm Workers labor union) allowed me to explore political and philanthropic perspectives beyond the bounds of family and community advocacy. By displaying the frontline and first-hand experiences of farm workers, this internship and research emphasize the importance of systemic and environmental injustice that companies and policymakers exclude. Findings from consumer response data showed varying perspectives of farm worker rights, there is a lack of transparency and accountability in the corporate policymaking process that allows for these issues, leaving consumers with limited options and knowledge. Thus providing an opportunity for ethical community-based storytelling and oral histories. By bridging the gap between consumer knowledge, harmful environmental practices and worker realities, this project contributes to environmental justice scholarship and interdisciplinary science communication by providing recommendations from the lens of worker experience to identify areas of improvement for current industrial agriculture practices.