The state of California is responsible for producing 1/3 of the nation’s vegetables and nearly 2/3 of the nation’s fruits and nuts; including 90% of the strawberries grown in the U.S. Although over one-half million farmworkers are responsible for this enormous food supply, in California, the world’s 7th largest economy, they remain an invisible, voiceless underclass.
Come and meet the farmworkers that are responsible for the fruits, vegetables and nuts that most of us consume daily. Hear their stories and learn about their lives along the Central Coast of California. We will visit their “homes” and learn about the many obstacles they face in their heroic day-to-day struggle to survive and raise their families. We will visit Crystal Bay Farm and meet our first family. They will demonstrate the skill-set required to pick strawberries.
We will then visit the Buena Vista Migrant Camp and hear more farmworker stories. We will conclude the tour with a visit to a substandard home rented by a very hard working farmworker and excellent cook. She will provide us with a delicious traditional Mexican meal while we discuss immigration reform and the needs of California’s farmworker population.