Agricultural Exceptionalism at the State Level: Characterization of Wage and Hour Laws for U.S. Farmworkers

Rodman, Sarah O.; Barry, Colleen L.; Clayton, Megan; Frattaroli, Shannon; Neff, Roni A.; Rutkow, Lainie

doi:10.5304/jafscd.2016.062.013

Cited by 16 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Given the policy structure of the existing agrifood system, the higher labor requirements mean that this food is more expensive than the food produced in the industrial system, because it does not externalize the environmental and labor costs of producing food in a sustainable manner. Alternative farmers are competing against large industrial farms that rely on the exploitation of farmworkers, externalize the costs of water pollution and soil degradation and depend on commodity payment and insurance programs that subsidize large-scale commodity crop farms (USDA, 2007; Holmes, 2013; Rodman et al, 2016). In practice, this means that alternative farmers must subsidize their operations in some way, either by volunteering their time, supporting their farms with non-farm wealth or income, or relying on non-waged labor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Labor and alternative food networks: challenges for farmers and consumers

Bruce

Castellano

2016

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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Although alternative food networks (AFNs) have made strides in modeling socially just and environmentally sound agrifood system practices, the next step is to make these innovations available to more people, or to increase participation in AFNs. However, there are several barriers to expanding the impact of AFNs. The labor intensity of producing and consuming foods in AFNs is sometimes overlooked but poses a significant challenge to alternative agrifood systems’ long-term viability. This paper brings together two independently conducted empirical research studies, one focused on sustainable food production and one focused on food provisioning in the sphere of consumption. Farmers engaged in small-scale alternative food production are investing significantly more time in maintaining the health of their soils by practicing crop rotation, growing a greater diversity of crops and building organic matter with cover crops and compost. Because much of this work is unpaid, the added labor requirements pose an obstacle to the financial viability and social sustainability of alternative production methods. On the consumption side, the labor intensity of food provisioning for women engaged in AFNs, combined with other socio-demographic factors, at times, constrains AFN participation. By identifying the ways in which labor may limit the ability of AFNs to expand to a larger portion of the population, this paper helps shed light on ways of increasing the environmental, social and health benefits of AFNs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Labor and alternative food networks: challenges for farmers and consumers

Bruce

Castellano

2016

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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“…One reason for the lack of attention paid to animal agriculture seems to be that the industry has long enjoyed a privileged status and sweeping exemptions from the law. Agricultural exceptionalism has consistently insulated agricultural producers from regulation, advancing social priorities in a range of fields including trade, environmental protection, labor and employment law, and animal protection (Blattner & Ammann, 2020;Ikerd, 2020;Pollans, 2016;Rodman et al, 2016;Schell, 2002;Trebilcock & Pue, 2015).…”

Section: Animal Agriculture Is the 'New Coal'mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Farmworkers are at a predictable risk of serious physical injury, denied compensation, and crushed for their efforts to self-organize (Human Rights Watch, 2004). As a consequence, they continue to belong to particularly vulnerable social and economic groups (Rodman et al, 2016).…”

Section: Animal Agriculture Is the 'New Coal'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Just Transition for Agriculture? A Critical Step in Tackling Climate Change

Blattner¹

2020

J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev.

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Just Transition has become an established discursive and conceptual framework to transition economic industries toward a low-carbon and climateresilient future. In the coal and mining industry in particular, it has gained a foothold and transformed politics and livelihoods. In other areas, like animal agriculture, which is equally damaging to the climate, the need for change and the deployment of Just Transition to achieve it are not yet established. Drawing on the most recent scientific insights by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), this viewpoint argues that transitioning toward a low-carbon production is just as imperative in agriculture. Specifically, it demands that we move away from animal agriculture. The viewpoint concludes by sketching possible areas and means of intervention.

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“…For example, the 1935 Wagner Act, which gave workers the right to organize, explicitly excluded farmworkers (Berkey ). This “agricultural exceptionalism” justified lower pay, and fewer benefits, rights, and protections for farm laborers as farmers and landowners argued that the challenges of growing and harvesting food made the industry more vulnerable to economic hardship (Berkey ; Gray ; Hahamovitch ; Rodman et al ; Rothenberg ; Wiggins ). Several states continue excluding farmworkers and/or undocumented workers from workers' compensation and disability eligibility (Farmworker Justice ), regardless of paying into the state and federal safety‐net systems with each paycheck (Horton ).…”

Section: The Creation Of Workers' Compensationmentioning

confidence: 99%