RE: re: reporting on agricultural trends

[Guest guest]

Greetings to everyone,I just wanted to make some very quick responses to 's important questions, and perhaps trigger some more input from others.My comments are below in color. Lighthall, Ph.D.Research DirectorRelational Culture Institute3485 W. Shaw, Suite 103Fresno, CA 93711530 304-0038 mobile559 276-2304 office559 276-2304 faxdavid@...-----Original Message-----From: Ruiz [mailto:jruiz@...]Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2004 1:11 PMmigrant_health_news ; Subject: [ ] re: reporting on agricultural trendsTina and friends,Tina, I welcome your suggestion on reporting agricultural trends at relevant migrant related forums. To the extent there is relevant information, I am sure that we will be reporting. Others should do the same. One thing that could help is to identify the types of information that we should be looking at and sources for the same. Your observations and the article served to highlight, once more, the close inter-relationship between the agricultural industry and policy making in Washington DC. More importantly, however, I think is the need for all of us, and I am sure many already do, to incorporate other macro elements (whether they are related to the agricultural industry, technological innovations, or globalization issues) into our assessments when we look at our programs, especially as we look to the future. The key point being, as we look to the future. What are the likely issues and how will they impact on our programs and these populations that migrant centers serve?Recent discussions have prompted me to ask:1) If mechanization is reducing the demand for farm labor and as more produce is being imported, will the demand and consequently the number of farmworkers be reduced?In the case of California, the trend (as I have learned from Don Villarejo) over the past 30 years or so has been towards higher value, more labor intensive crops. Globalization is now creating more competition in those crops and hence the pressure, albeit belated in many eyes, towards a counter-trend of mechanization. Some would argue that the Migrant Health program has been part of a subsidization of US agriculture that has arguably delayed this mechanization process.

A major counter-trend to mechanization in respect to labor demand has been the rapid growth (about 10% per year) in organic production in the US. Organic ag is inherently more labor intensive. While it is not totally immune to pressure from low-wage organic imports, I would conjecture that consumers of organic food are also more inclined to purchase US-produced organics relative to conventional consumers. So the whole movement, i.e. sustainable food systems, towards locally and regionally-produced and consumed food is aligned with the continued mission of farmworker clinics across the country.2) What States are likely to be implicated by greater mechanization of crops and or reduction in farmland and will this create a reduction in demand for farm labor?

Certainly Florida and California will be affected, e.g. in raisin grapes and citrus. 3) Given the President's proposal for a broader guestworker program, how will it impact on migrant programs? Will bringing in more guestworkers reduce farm labor wages? increase the number of farmworkers? Family members traveling? What services will they need?

The president's plan is dead in the water but the AgJobs bill is alive and kicking. I hope that NACHC has been working with Bruce Goldstein and the Farmworker Justice Fund to lobby Congress on that, the lobbying effort is ramping up as we speak. I am trying to remember if their action alerts have come over this listserve. If they have not, they should as it is clearly in the interests of the clinics to support this legislation. It has strong bipartisan support and will pave the was for farmworker amnesty in a clearly defined way, unlike the president's half-hearted proposal. It would make it much easier for families to travel and make them less likely to fear publicly-supported clinics. I would think that it would increase the demand for clinic services but on the other hand, more workers would be able to travel back to Mexico and spend time there in the winter. In respect to guestworkers, the bill would streamline the H2A guestworker program but I doubt if it will have major impacts on the number of guest workers coming in, at least not in California or other areas where the program is currently not used very much. Same goes for wages. In a number of years it's possible that the farmworkers who have earned their green cards will opt out of agriculture and there may be more of a turn to guestworkers.

And I am sure there are many more. Bottom line is, if we want to play a part in the structuring of our programs then we need to be at the table with our own ideas of what the field is going to look like. And this should happen for all of the migrant related federal as well as state programs. It calls for a focus not just on the now but also where do we want to be 10-15-20 years from now.You are right on, . I believe we need to make stronger links between the larger public health crisis that the country (and farmworkers) is facing due to chronic disease/poor diet, the critical importance of maintaining adequate, affordable supplies of home-grown healthy food (fruits, nuts, and vegetables), the economic viability of the farms that produce this food, and the heath and well-being of the farmworkers whose labor makes this domestic production/consumption possible.

I would like to propose that NACHC consider an effort to convene a mini-conference (or include it in your national conference) where we start to extend and deepen these connections and their organizational correlates.

In California, a small group of other non-profit staffers and I have worked for the past three years to create the California Agricultural Worker Health and Housing Commission, a commission authorized by the California legislature to address these issues from a food system perspective. The California Primary Care Association and the Central Valley Health Network have been very helpful in this process. The Commission is composed equally of farmworker advocates (including a clinic director) and farm employers who will meet for the next two years to advise the legislature on new policy. In doing so we believe that responsibility for farmworker health and housing is shared throughout the food sytem, particularly in light of the fact that farmers/growers for the most part auction their commodities and cannot pass on costs through set prices. (This is one of the main reasons why we had to create the Migrant Health Program in the first place.) FYI I have attached a PDF on the legislation. The bottom line is the inseparability of our personal health, the economc health of US farm operations, and the health of the farmworkers you all serve.

Thanks Tina. RuizAssistant Director Systems Development and Policy AdministrationMigrant Health CoordinatorNational Association of Community Health Centers, Inc.7200 Wisconsin Avenue Suite 210Bethesda, MD 20814(301) 347-0442(301) 347-0459 FAX(202) 365-0154 Cell Phonejruiz@...www.nachc.com"Youth is the gift of nature but age is a work of art."- Garson KaninTo Post a message, send it to: GroupsTo Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: -unsubscribe