Exploring Farming Practices of Small-Scale Hmong Producers in Fresno County: Access and Voice in Sustainable Agriculture Discourse and Policy
Author(s):
Cosca, Scott
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
M.S.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : University of California, Davis, 2016.
Pages:
103
Language:
English
Abstract:
The post-indigenous history of California agriculture is built on the backs of the immigrant experience, from Chinese farmers in the mining era to waves of Oaxacan migrants picking and packing the fresh fruits and vegetables today. Despite this integral role, farmers and farmworkers of color are rarely prominently featured in calls for food system reform. Sustainable agriculture discourse valorizes the small/local farmers and the tradition/legacy of (white) family farming, but largely ignores questions of race. This is not a universal omission, as more pronounced calls for social justice do bring significant attention to the marginalization and exploitation of farmworkers and the need for structural reform. Labor reform is a critical piece of sustainability and justice, but I argue that attention also needs to be focused on the role that farmworkers, immigrant farmers and farmers of color play as knowledge producers. I believe this requires a more reflexive examination of what counts as legitimate knowledge and a broadening of institutional agricultural science to validate the experiential and performative components of farming knowledge. Interviewing small Hmong producers in Fresno County, who continue to farm and persist against a wide array of challenges, I explore two concepts for a just and equitable agricultural science. Distributive justice requires parity in access to sustainable and climate resilient agricultural programs, and I identify some ongoing systemic barriers for these small Hmong producers to access two recent programs: NRCS EQIP and CDFA SWEEP. Beyond parity, procedural justice requires taking steps to ensure that these Hmong farmers, and all disadvantaged farmers, have a clear voice in shaping policy and discourse around sustainability. This may require rethinking some research strategies and priorities, and building broader partnerships between the universities, government agencies, and farmers.