If Trump's plans for mass deportations penetrate California’s heartland, it almost surely would decimate the workforce farmers rely on to plant and harvest their crops. So, why aren't farmers yelling in protest?

Summary

California farmers, many of whom supported Trump, face a potential crisis as his immigration policies threaten mass deportations of undocumented workers, who make up at least half of the state’s 162,000 farm labor force.

Deportations could devastate agriculture, leading to labor shortages, unharvested crops, and rising food prices.

Farmers hope for solutions such as workforce legalization or expanded H-2A guest worker programs, though these have been criticized for exploitation risks.

Historical parallels to programs like “Operation Wetback” and the bracero system highlight possible labor and human rights challenges ahead.

      • ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.netEnglish
        2·
        8 days ago

        According to this, urban farming seems surprisingly viable due to yields being so much higher than big ag farming. If we grew on rooftops and replaced parking lots with growing space, a city could theoretically become food self sufficient.

        • RagingRobot@lemmy.world
          1·
          6 days ago

          The parking lot idea is awesome! I have never thought of that. You can buy an old run down parking lot in a rough area for super cheap and turn that into an urban farm.

          I love that for you lol

        • enbyecho@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          8 days ago

          Completely agree. It’s extremely viable and should be pursued more. There’s enough vacant land, especially city-owned land, for it to totally work. And you are right about yields, but with a caveat. The issue is the lack of people with the skills and experience in actual production farming - where high yields and high quality are the focus. What happens all to often is that people get enthusiastic, make a big investment, then there’s nobody to carry it through multiple years and through the inevitable trial and error that occurs in any new growing situation. It doesn’t help when people massively undervalue the skill required and essentially call farmers morons, as we’ve seen here. That means often (a) they are not willing to invest in people with the skills and pay them adequately; (b) they assume high production farming is easy and they can do it but then bail when the fail. I personally have been involved in or know of probably a dozen urban farming projects that have failed. It’s sad to see.