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\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the Ethnic Media Services\u2019s COVID-19 video conference on April 17, experts called for action to support and protect vulnerable minorities, including the farmworkers of the San Joaquin Valley, one of the country\u2019s key sources of food.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the speakers Genoveva Islas, director of Cultiva la Salud, said not enough is being done to protect these farmworkers, many of whom are migrant workers from Mexico. Cultiva la Salud is an organization dedicated to the health of San Joaquin Valley communities by promoting policy and environmental change.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is a huge inequity in terms of the resources and support\u201d available to them, Islas said. \u201cThose communities that were struggling before COVID, suffering disadvantages \u2026 That disadvantage is even more magnified now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Islas said that the San Joaquin Valley is \u201capproximately 1 percent of the agricultural farmland in the United States, but we produce 25 percent of all of the table foods for America.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnything that would impair our ability to provide that [food] could be catastrophic for not only California, but potentially for our nation,\u201d Islas said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While many industries have been forced to close by official mandates, agricultural work has been deemed essential. \u201cI\u2019m proud that my farmworking community is recognized as essential workers. And those essential workers need essential protections,\u201d Islas said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But pride aside, Islas is also angry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m really upset that immigrant communities were left out of the CARES Act funding,\u201d Islas said, referring to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act: over $2 trillion economic relief package signed into law at the end of March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on April 15 the state of California will pay out $500 checks to undocumented immigrants excluded from the CARES Act.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the $125 million set aside for this purpose won\u2019t solve everything. \u201cWe are delighted to hear about the resources that Governor Newsom announced, specifically for undocumented individuals. I do think it\u2019ll help, but it certainly won\u2019t be enough,\u201d Islas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For now, there aren\u2019t many cases of COVID-19 in the San Joaquin Valley, Islas said. As of April 17, there were 1,921 cases and 63 deaths.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The San Joaquin Valley may not receive many international flights or tourism, but Islas said there is \u201can incredible amount of potential risk\u201d in the region: people in the area have high levels of asthma, obesity and diabetes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, rural communities in the area have \u201cconsistently suffered from a provider shortage. We do not have an adequate amount of trained physicians to be able to respond if there is a higher level of outbreak,\u201d Islas said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another critical problem is that advocacy for farmworker needs isn\u2019t coming from leadership, Islas said. \u201cWe need to have an organized manner in which we are providing for workers and anybody [else] that is essential.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Islas, advocates are trying to prevent evictions and water cutoffs for the many workers in the area experiencing housing insecurity. \u201cIf we want people to shelter in place, we need to allow them to have a shelter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly Islas said, \u201cif we want people to wash their hands, they need to have access to water.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The San Joaquin Valley suffers from some of the highest levels of food insecurity and water pollution in the state. \u201cRight now, water is being delivered to many of those communities,\u201d Islas said, but long-term solutions are needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen we cannot farm, we cannot produce food. And that affects all of us. We need to protect our farmworkers and we need to make sure that we are investing in the resources that allow us to produce foods,\u201d Islas said. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To support the reeling farm industry, the Trump administration is considering policies to reduce pay for foreign seasonal workers, who receive wages comparable to local hourly rates. \u201cIt is horrendous to think that in a time of so much need we would want to decrease anybody\u2019s wages. There needs to be definitely a lot more protections,\u201d Islas said. \u201cI\u2019m reminded about the importance of things like having a just and fair immigration system. Now is the time where we need to see leadership from our congress and federal officials to advance that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for the resources which are available, more information needs to reach these often non-English-speaking communities, according to Islas and Assemblymember David Chiu.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chiu said over 42 percent of California households speak a language other than English, and hopes the legislative offices and nonprofits can assist these individuals until better solutions are available.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWithin the Latino community, there are a lot of women who are currently making masks, giving them to their neighbors, to their friends. But it is not enough,\u201d Islas said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In recent weeks, the federal government eased the requirements for an H-2A visa, which allows foreign nationals to work in the U.S. seasonally for agricultural work. Islas thinks this may be taking advantage of some workers during a difficult time.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, many of the growers have lost markets, because \u201cthe retail chain is collapsing\u201d due to the current pandemic, Islas said. \u201cWe have farmers that are plowing under lettuce, we have dairies that are also disposing of raw milk because the demand is decreasing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reinforcing businesses like food banks that provide essential services may help the struggling farming industry, according to Islas.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 At the Ethnic Media Services\u2019s COVID-19 video conference on April 17, experts called for action to support and protect vulnerable minorities, including the farmworkers of the San Joaquin Valley, one of the country\u2019s key sources of food.\u00a0 One of the speakers Genoveva Islas, director of Cultiva la Salud, said not enough is being done […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":43416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[18556],"coauthors":[18583],"class_list":["post-43414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-covid-19-en","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n