Humans of Agriculture- Yuridia’s Story.
“I came here by myself looking for a better future, for a better job, there are no jobs in Nicaragua. I miss my family but I don’t know if I will ever go back to visit.
The politicians don’t want us here. They don’t like us.
I just want the Americans to know that we are here to help you work. Please help us, help you.
I have two little boys, one is in Kindergarten, he’s learning English. I want a good future for my sons but I am scared. I worry I will go to the store while they are at school and get caught and I don’t know what would happen to my sons.
I like the farm, it’s very good. If immigration gets me, the first thing I will do is call my boss, he will help me.“
Yuridia is the woman behind your food. Think of her when you buy dairy products.
To read more Humans of Agriculture stories, click HERE.
These past two stories have bee amazing. Important work, Carrie. Thank you.
I do not want to make the assumption that all immigrants are illegal immigrants or that those you have blogged about do not have proper documentation, so I do not want to get into the specifics of those that you have written about. However, I do think that is an important distinction to acknowledge when talking about the issue of immigrant labor force in agriculture.
The need to hire labor when they are not in the country legally is an issue as agriculturalists we need to be accountable for and try to solve (see California field workers). Hiring an illegal workforce is not a viable or sustainable way to produce food for many reasons. It is dependent on policy change. It isn’t ethical. It doesn’t guarantee living wages or other important employee benefits. As an industry, we should support ways to help immigrants work for us, legally and find ways to fill the labor pool with legal, qualified workers.