Asparagus and Exploitation

by Amanda Kloer · 2009-03-23 12:00:00 UTC
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My colleagues over at Labor is Not A Commodity are talking about the widespread exploitation of Peruvian women in the asparagus industry.  Apparently, Peru is the world's largest exporter of asparagus, and the industry is largely dominated by women, many of whom are severely exploited.  As one worker stated,

They say they pay us 18 soles, including overtime. Seventeen or 18 soles aren't enough, when breakfast costs more than five soles, lunch about eight soles, and a worker can't live on just bread and milk...and for clothing? And if you get sick, how will you buy medicine?

18 soles is about $5.70, which is certainly not a living wage for many of the female workers who support their families.  Despite this low pay, some regions of the country are being lauded as examples of sound economic development and job creation policies. 

The flip side of this story, of course, is what happens to the asparagus these women pick.  For the most part, the vegetables end up in grocery stores in the U.S. and Europe, allowing us to have delicious, spring asparagus in the summer, fall, and dead of winter, when it doesn't grow in this hemisphere.  The "locavore" movement has gained a lot of traction because it's more sustainable environmentally and trendy among urban foodies, but it also reduces the amount of imported produce from countries like Peru, which may have higher levels of exploitation in some industries.  Agricultural workers in the U.S. are far from exempt from exploitation, however.  And while men have traditionally been the ones trafficked and exploited in agriculture, women in all countries are being more represented in this population.

The next time you buy asparagus in the grocery store, take a look and see where it comes from.  For the next couple months, you may be able to find more locally grown asparagus, but past the summer, the Peruvian stuff will likely dominate again. 

You can read more about the working conditions of women in the Peruvian asparagus industry here.

 Image from latimesblog.latimes.com

Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic
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