By: Jacey Anderson, SAF Board Member
Thousands of years ago, humans began planting seeds, forever changing our relationship to the land. Today, the people who sustain that relationship—farmworkers—are rarely recognized as environmental stewards. This disconnect isn’t accidental. It reflects a deeper contradiction at the heart of modern environmentalism embedded in a capitalistic society.
Farmworkers aren’t just laborers within environmental systems—they are environmental experts through lived, embodied knowledge. Many have crossed different borders and biomes. They read soil, weather, pests, crop cycles; they experience elemental and chemical exposure firsthand; they know what “sustainable” actually feels like on the body. Yet they are often excluded from environmental recognition and leadership.
Environmentalism of the “global west” was a product of the early twentieth century United States and has historically focused on resource conservation, and what scholars call “early environmentalism” was connected to patriotism and national pride. However, “environmentalism of the poor,” connects concern for the environment with concern for social justice. Indeed, environmental movements of the so-called “global south” have taught us that in order to be successful–or even exist–they must also directly address human rights.SAF is doing the work of redefining environmentalism. Part of its mission is, “improve conditions for farmworkers, and build diverse coalitions working for social change.” Working with farmworkers, students, and allies to improve the conditions of farmworkers will, by default, improve the condition of the non-human environment. By recognizing farmworkers as knowledge producers and including them in leadership and decision-making, SAF addresses labor and environmental conditions together. This is an exemplary way of organizing in the midst of the climate crisis.