CIW and via compesina (Blog #8)

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is a group striving to create equality for workers in the production and processing of foods. They work closely with anti-slavery and poor working conditions. Most notably, they have recently negotiated deals with major corporations like Taco Bell and McDonalds to improve working conditions and wages for the farmers and pickers involved in the tomato chains in Florida. In addition, the CIW have been involved in uncovering slavery rings in Florida.



La Via Campesina, loosely translated to The Peasant Route, is a group of small farm producers banded together that advocates the right to "food sovereignty". Food sovereignty is the ability and right to grow food for yourself on your own land without letting the marketplace interfere with it.

Both groups are working for equality of farmers and the workers of them. They both disrupt the normal chain of command, but in their own separate ways. 


The CIW wants to increase wages on the tomato farms in Florida by as little as 1 cent more a lb of tomatoes picked. They have gone about this by putting strains on the major fast food chains, claiming that because of their bulk buying power, they can control what prices the tomatoes are sold at. By pressuring these companies to pay just a little bit more, they are increasing the workers' work conditions on the farms and their wages. The wage increase of 1 cent being ask was for of a symbolic request. A penny doesn't seem like much, but to the workers, a 1cent per pound increase could almost double the worker's wages for a day. This increase in wage doubled as a way to appeal to the public. The public sees one penny as insignificant and questions why companies would not agree to such a small request. This puts the public on farmer's side and helped their boycott even more. They have done so by boycotting these fast food chains. In doing so, they have not only made the problem more visible to the country, but have also put the companies in a choke hold. This bad publicity resulted in poor business for the chains. They recently decided to work with the CIW and increase wages for the farm workers in Florida. 
Consumers helped this cause because by deciding to boycott with the CIW they created a large divide in the business the companies were receiving before, and therefore more incentive to work with the CIW rather than against them.


Via Campesina goes about their disruptions a bit differently. They have created strikes to get their points across to society. The most recent was about a week ago in Cancun. Farmers and protesters alike gathered to strike the debates going around about climate change and how to resolve it. This sounds like a good thing, but the resolve is to help the big companies sustain, thus edging out the smaller, home farms. The protests are non violent, and definitely disrupt the dealings happening. Consumers play a part in the industrialized farming that has occurred and pushed local farms aside, because by buying the large scale farms food for a slightly cheaper price they are damning the small farms that sell locally. This eventually leads to shutting down that farm, and causing the farmer to find new jobs, thus creating more competition for non-


farming jobs, creating a lot of jobless individuals. Consumers can help curb this by buying locally and continuing to support local farms.