A Hunger to Farm: Immigrant Farmers in America

Pre-Listening

1. Write down the picture that immediately came to mind when you heard the phrase “immigrant farmer.”  Who is this person? What does s/he look like? What are they doing? What is their job like?

2. Are immigrant farmers in America a new phenomenon? If not, where have them come from in previous eras and what crops have they introduced to American cuisine?

Juan Marinez, Assistant Director for Outreach, Michigan State University Cooperative Extension program and liaison at Julian Samorra Research Institute

1. Marinez says part of the reason many Mexicans farm is because “the Mexican markets want fresh fruits and vegetables because the Mexican consumer is used to eating things fresh.” This desire has helped many small Mexican farmers earn income by selling at farmers markets. What effects could this desire to buy food directly from the farmer have on the American food system if it spread further into the mainstream? How would it change the face of American farming?

2. As Marinez and the program host discuss cycles of immigration in American history, Marinez concludes by saying that Americans could buy everything we eat from other countries. “We don’t have to produce it here. We could buy it but I don’t know if the American consumer is ready to make that decision.” [listening link on page 3 starting from “You know, it’s often said in the current immigration debate about immigrants” and ending with “American consumer is ready to make that decision”] If American consumers shifted their food purchases largely to foreign agricultural markets, what would be the impacts of this shift on the U.S. food system? How important is it to you that your food comes from local or regional sources? What difference does it make?

Michael Yang, Program Representative for University of California cooperative extension service and Chou Xiong, a Hmong immigrant farmer

1. Xiong and Yang say their parents were subsistence farmers back in Laos. What is subsistence farming? What might it be like for someone used to non-mechanized subsistence farming to adapt to U.S. farming practices?

2. Why do you think the first reaction of the OSHA officials was to fine Xiong instead of talking with him? What are some strategies that OSHA could use to fairly apply laws governing worker health and safety? What’s the proper balance between enforcing these laws and making allowances for differences of culture?

3. If you were going to educate immigrant farmers about how farming is done in this country and what our farming culture is like, what topics would you cover?

Maria Moreira, dairy farmer and new immigrant farmer mentor

1. Moreira discusses how serious the immigrant farmers are about providing food for their immediate and extended families. They are so serious, in fact, that even though they are growing garden-sized plots, Moreira decided to call them micro-farmers because they grow without the leisurely attitude of gardening. Where do you think the desire to grow their own food comes from? Why do you think most Americans don't share this desire?

2. Moreira relates how the farmers markets where Asian immigrant farmers sell their produce don’t primarily serve Asian customers. Non-immigrant shoppers come in large numbers to try new vegetables, and then return the next week for more recipes and vegetables. People are getting to know each other at the markets. What non-economic benefits do farmers markets provide to their shoppers and communities? [listening link end of page 6 and top of 7 starting with “And is it primarily other Asian immigrants who are buying these vegetables?” to “they want to try something new and delicious”]

Gus Schumacher, former Undersecretary of Agriculture for farm and foreign agricultural services at the United States Department of Agriculture

1. When asking Schumacher if immigrant farmers are a new trend in America, host Mark Sommer points out that “many Americans are aware…that immigrants are doing much of the heavy labor as workers in the fields, but we’re not so aware of immigrant farmers, people who either own or lease land and grow food for market.” Why do you think there is this gap in our understanding and awareness about the contribution of immigrants to our food system?

2. Schumacher states that part of the reason why small farmers producing for markets are growing so quickly is because they are filling a demand for food at farmers markets and “new, interesting supermarkets.” Why do you think this demand has grown, and what sectors of the American public is it coming from? How might this shift ultimately affect the U.S. food system?

3. What explains the rapidly accelerating growth of farmers markets over the past decade? Over the long term, how is it likely to affect commercial supermarkets and cooperatives?

Suliman Kamara, farm and marketing cooperative coordinator for New Entry Sustainable Farming Project at Tufts University

1. What drawbacks might there be to growing tropical crops in temperate climates with harsh winters in places like Massachusetts?

2. Discussion: What is community supported agriculture (CSA)? Have you ever been to a CSA farm? If so, please share with others in your group what you know about how they work. Would you like to become a member of a CSA? What would be the benefits and drawbacks?

3. Kamara says that despite the difficulties immigrant farmers face in farming in a new and very different culture, climate and landscape, there are non-financial rewards as well. What might some of these rewards be?

4. Have you ever shopped at a farmers market? If so, please describe the experience. What did you like about it? What, if anything, didn’t you like? Which do you prefer, shopping at a supermarket or a farmers market?

Concluding Discussion Questions

1. What are some of the different reasons why immigrants choose to farm in the United States?

2. Discussion: One of the things we heard about throughout this program was the explosion of farmers markets within the last couple of decades. There is a rapidly rising demand in the marketplace for fresh, local, organic produce. Yet in the same time period, the United States has been hit by an epidemic of obesity. How could these two contradictory trends be occurring at the same time? Are fresh, healthy, organic foods only affordable for affluent consumers? How can they be made more affordable and accessible to people of more modest means?

3. Think back to the first two questions under First Reactions: Immigrant Farmers. How has the picture in your head of what it means to be an immigrant farmer changed?