California Geography Fresno: The Desert Thesis

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1). Ironically, these workers who feed others are often hungry themselves, even when they bring home some of the rejected crop they harvest to feed their families. A 2007 study of agricultural workers in the area found that nearly half (45%) met the criteria of food insecurity. 34% of respondents were food insecure without hunger while an additional 11% were food insecure with hunger (Wirth et al. 2007, p.1). "Nearly half (48%) of eligible respondents reported utilizing the food stamp program, which is comparable to 53% of eligible Fresno County residents. However, food stamp participation varies by season. Whereas 55% of eligible respondents utilized the program in the winter, only 37% of eligible respondents did so in the summer. Many respondents interviewed during the summer believed they were not eligible for this program because they were working or earned too much" (Wirth et al. 2007, p.24). They had little or no access to social support services to inform them that this was not the case.

Because of the importance of agriculture in the region, Fresno has a large transient population, mostly migrant Mexican, workers who follow the possibility of making money through picking produce with the seasons. The recession in America has caused many of these workers to be taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers -- even more so than usual. Recently, the local newspaper The Fresno Bee reported: "Fresno Co. farm workers say they were paid $2 per hour." The California Rural Legal Assistance Inc. argued on behalf of 50 organized workers who were pruning and tying grapevines."When some of them got their final paychecks, they ended up earning about $2 an hour."

It is, quite simply, very hard to be poor in Fresno, and while it is hard to be poor anywhere, the invisible nature of the type of poverty that exists in Fresno makes it even harder.

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Agriculture workers are often anonymous to the eyes of other residents, and the 'fruits' (no pun intended) -- of their labor are all that middle-class Californians want to see. Consider the $600 two-bedroom apartments in southeast Fresno: "bad credit won't keep you out. But many costs aren't in the lease: Some apartments are teeming with roaches and mold, creating a veritable stew pot for illness -- and constant doctor bills. It's in a dangerous neighborhood, so costly possessions -- like stereos -- have a way of disappearing. People live here because they are poor and can't afford anything better. But compared to those with just a little more money, they must spend an enormous share of their household incomes on rent" (Nax 2009, p.1). Limited public transportation in the region often impedes migrant workers' ability to find better-paying jobs, and reduces competition for competitive wages. Agricultural work conveys few marketable skills that enable a worker to 'pull him -- or herself -- up by the bootstraps.'

Even the roach-infested apartments in the area are difficult to secure: "the main program to help people afford housing is Section 8, a federal program that works with local governments to subsidize rents. And it's overwhelmed. In Fresno County, about 13,000 households receive Section 8 vouchers worth an average of $560 per month. Another 21,000 are on the waiting list, said Preston Prince, executive director of the Fresno Housing Authorities" (Nax 2009, p.1). Of course, undocumented workers do not qualify for federal assistance. These workers represent the dark side of the beautiful land that feeds so much of the rest of the world with healthy food from Fresno's soil.

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