Farmworkers in California Organic Agriculture: A Critical Case Study

The alternative food network movement is portrayed as environmentally friendly, socially sustainable, and economically beneficial for all participants. However, few studies have examined labor conditions for agricultural workers on organic, sustainable family farms. Although there is a widely held belief that this broadly defined alternative agriculture movement includes ancillary social, economic, and environmental benefits, there is a lack of empirical data on this topic to indicate AFN farms offer better work conditions compared to conventional farms.;This project is a critical case study of a "best case scenario" organic family farm in Northern California. It is an in-depth examination of labor practices with the intent to understand the lived experiences of farmworkers and how this supports or refutes the public and promotional imagery associated with the AFN movement. The thesis seeks to develop a new framework for understanding the farmworker imaginary promoted by this new values-driven agriculture movement, and how labor conditions compare to those on conventional farms.;I posit that actual conditions for farmworkers on organic farms are slightly better than those on conventional farms. However, there are significant components of labor issues that are not addressed within the AFN movement. This research provides the voices and stories of mitigating issues such as respect in the workplace, living wages, hunger and food security. The main purpose of this research is to enable further critical discussions about addressing labor practices within the alternative food network movement.