La Via Compesina & the CIW

La Via Compesina has become an international movement of an organization that has “brought together millions of peasants, small and medium-size farmers, landless people, women farmers, indigenous people, migrants and agricultural workers from around the world.” As an organization they believe that small, sustainable farming is the answer to stopping injustice in the global food system which is created by large corporations who are hungry for profits and power. In their eyes these corporations are the root cause of social injustice, inhumane labor conditions, and environmental disasters with the food system. One of their goals is to change the food system in a way where everyone can grow and cultivate their own food directly in their communities in order to feed the world “in a healthy and sustainable way”. They work with one another to teach and learn environmental and human friendly ways of farming and agriculture. They represent farmers from 70 different countries throughout the world without having any political or economic type of ties. While they do hold protests, marches and rallies, their goals are much more large scale and they want to start the change within the government with laws and regulations. They have become one of the largest organizations in the fight for food sovereignty however they are battling against the most powerful, rich, and large corporations in the entire world. They have united together from all over the world, working with fellow farmers from across the world to get their voices heard. They are constantly holding meetings, debates, forums and discussions around the world with various other organizations and groups.



On the other hand there is the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). They are mainly based in the southeast of the United States and are made up of “Latino, Mayan Indian and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida.” Their main goals are to achieve better pay among the workers, better, cheaper housing, “stronger laws and stronger enforcement against those who would violate workers' rights, the right to organize on our jobs without fear of retaliation, and an end to involuntary servitude in the fields.” These laborers work in the tomato fields of Florida and fight many of the same struggles as the La Via Compesina. They want to inform Americans and people around the world of the conditions they are forced to work and live in. These people are at the mercy of large corporations who make the decisions about prices and profits. The tomatoes these laborers pick are the same tomatoes that supply some of the biggest fast food corporations in the world such as Taco Bell. This organization has ran several campaigns and marches against these large business and much of their work has paid off. In attempt to get the negative media coverage off of their company Burger King was one of the first businesses to agree to the CIW's requests of an additional one cent per pound. They have now joined the CIW in attempting to get other companies to do the same and fight for equality in this industry.



As consumers we play a role in the fight for social justice, while it might not always feel like we can do much, every little bit counts. Ultimately we have a choice to support those companies and corporations who treat workers with equality and to buy products that we know are not coming from underpaid laborers in areas like Florida. We have the ability to alter the food system as long as we educate ourselves on the injustices happening in our own country and put effort into doing something about them.