#agricultural worker

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - November 8-14

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1. Agrivoltaics for sustainable food, energy and water management in East Africa

“[… C]ertain crops […] thrived under the partial shade provided by solar panels. The shade also helped to reduce water loss through evaporation, leading to more efficient water usage. Additionally, rainwater harvested from the panels could be used to supplement irrigation needs.”

2. The world’s largest wildlife crossing is now standing in California

“The structure crosses a 10-lane freeway and has been built to help protect all sorts of wildlife[….] And it’s not just for fauna: some 5,000 plants grown from seed collected within a five-mile radius have been nurtured in two specially created nurseries. The bridge will be topped with wildflowers, shrubs and native grasses that will also benefit insect populations.”

3. Judge rules the military must cover gender-affirming surgery for members' dependents

“[Judge] Torresen found that [gender-affirming] surgery is indeed medically necessary and that the Defense Department had not shown that any important governmental interest was advanced by denying the coverage.”

4. Social Media Can Boost Caracal Conservation

“The team found that searches on the species doubled after the project [using “social media to educate about the caracal”] launched. […] ”The research demonstrates how a public interest in urban ecology and the global phenomenon of ‘cats on the internet’… can be harnessed to leverage conservation action.””

5. US Labor Board Bans Captive Audience Meetings to Ensure 'Truly Free' Worker Choice

“[T]he National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday ruled that employers cannot force workers to attend anti-union speeches. [… W]orkers will no longer have to take part in so-called "captive audience meetings," which employers often use as a union-busting tool and a form of coercion.”

6. Study links grazing with plant phenology and abundance

“In general, plants where caribou or muskoxen were present experienced earlier green-up and greater abundance later in the growing season. “We're used to thinking of the timing of plant availability as impacting the productivity of grazing animals, but not the reverse," Post said.”

7. Frog populations once decimated by disease mount a major comeback

“"These results provide a rare example of how reintroduction of resistant individuals can allow the landscape-scale recovery of disease-impacted species, and have broad implications for amphibians and many other taxa that are threatened with extinction by novel pathogens."”

8. California Announces Special Session To Protect Trans People

“Newsom’s directive is clear: safeguard reproductive healthcare, support immigrants, and shield LGBTQ+ people from what is viewed as existential threats to civil rights and democratic norms. […] California has a unique opportunity to set the blueprint for other states in resisting a Trump administration[….]”

9. When ‘OK, Boomer’ Means ‘Let’s Go Protest’

“Youth activists across the country recognize the efforts of their eco-minded predecessors and welcome them as mentors, role models, and collaborators in their battle against the climate crisis. […] “The idea that Boomers don’t care, he said, is “just misinformation.””

10. How Aussie Waste Warriors are Redirecting Excess Food to Those in Need

“A growing movement is working to reduce perfectly good food going to waste by redirecting it to homes and charities. [… C]haritable organisations [… are] transforming fresh produce that would otherwise have gone to waste into millions of cooked, nutritious meals for people in need each year.”

November 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[serpentface]

Palo and Tigran standing casually in place to provide an outfit reference.

They are wearing the most typical day to day clothing for Galenii monks. This consists of three main parts:

-A simple, ankle-length sleeveless robe (white in initiate monks and black in the fully initiated). -A dark woolen cloak, which doubles as a blanket. This cloak is the foundational item of clothing throughout much of Imperial Wardin as a whole, and worn by all social classes. They tend to be cut shorter and highly decorative in the upper classes, serving only the practical purpose of shielding the arms from the sun. Poor laborers may wear only the cloak and a loincloth and nothing else. In the case of Galenii monks, it is standardized, simple, and dark blue-gray. -The sash. This is a very long scarf that is the primary visual signifier of a Galenii monk. Its open ends drape down the front side of the body and are tied at the chest. It is slung over the shoulders and hangs in a loop around the back. These sashes are dyed an expensive royal blue, indicating the significance and relative esteemed status of this religious order.

Additional elements:

-The sign of the horns: a small iron pin used to fasten the cloak. This is the symbol of the Lunar Face Of God (the specific aspect to which the Galenii are devoted, which is primarily associated with fertility and the cycles of sacrifice and rebirth). This is very common among monks but not standardized wear. Galenii priests wear the sign of the triple horns (though more commonly as an amulet).

-Ear piercings: Galenii monks and priests wear thick earrings of dark meteoric iron and stretch their earlobes. One is added to each ear for each year of the initiatory process. Palo is a year in, and Tigran is fully initiated and has five bands per ear. Body modification is exceptionally rare in Imperial Wardi culture, largely in relation to taboos surrounding body integrity. The exception here is done with great significance and care- these earrings can be made only with true meteoric iron, considered to be the blood of God Itself. Permanently marking their bodies with this metal signifies this priesthood's integral connection to maintaining the continual cycle of sacrifice/rebirth that is believed to keep God's domain stable, and binds them to this role.

-Sandals: usually very simple in construction. Monks are often expected to go barefoot, but the cities are quite dirty so most prefer to avoid this if possible.

-Ceremonial dagger: a sign of a fully initiated monk. It is curved and its sheath is decorated with a tuft of lion's mane (a signal of the Galenii order's close connection to the Odonii order). Most of its uses are ceremonial, but it will be periodically used to perform animal sacrifices. A smaller razor blade is kept in the home for personal bloodletting.

-Hair: Fully initiated monks shave their heads, while those in the process of initiation have relative freedom with hair dressing. Palo is wearing his hair in a single braid tucked around the front. Broadly speaking, braiding the hair is associated with female beauty standards throughout much of Imperial Wardin (though generally in two braids). There is no cultural convention Against men doing so, but it is regarded as mildly effeminate (particularly in the south and southeast).

-Lore Friendly Sunglasses: Palo has photosensitive epilepsy. No effective treatments for epilepsy exist in the setting (most 'treatments' in Imperial Wardin are alchemical in nature, ie: ambiguously helpful at best or literal poison at worst), but understanding of the Nature of epilepsy as a neurological disorder is relatively accurate, and the concept of photosensitivity is loosely understood (though not with great accuracy, it's assumed to be caused by light in General). Palo had this pair of (VERY expensive) sunglasses commissioned as a youth, which Do slightly reduce the frequency of his seizures. Devastatingly stylish as they may be, his glasses do not offer much visual clarity so he only wears them in bright conditions.

[dispatchesfromtheclasswar]

[allthecanadianpolitics]

More than 300 Quebec farmers drove their tractors through the streets of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Friday to send a message to the provincial government, saying they are facing an existential crisis.

They say their costs have ballooned and it's becoming impossible to make a living.

Their message was simple: no farmers, no food, no future.

"We already have people going bankrupt. We already have people shutting down, doing something else. A lot of farmers already have to work almost part-time, if not full-time, outside the farm to be able to make ends meet," said Stephanie Levasseur, vice-president of the Union des producteurs agricoles, Quebec farmers' union. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland, @vague-humanoid

[newsfromstolenland]

Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet has amended his law project, Bill 19, regulating youth employment in the province to allow children under 14 to work in agriculture, provided the business has a maximum of 10 employees.

The proposed law, tabled in March, would limit the number of weekly hours Quebecers 16 and under can work during the school year to 17. It also sets the minimum legal working age at 14 — with some exceptions for jobs like babysitting or tutoring.

But Boulet's amendment would allow small agricultural businesses to be exempt from the new minimum working age and employ children as young as twelve.

[...]

This new exemption echoes the demands of employers, who asked for more exceptions to allow children under 14 to work.

But there are concerns over the agricultural environment being risky as injuries in young people are frequent. Some doubt the ability of Quebec's labour regulator, La Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), to ensure the safety of children in the workplace.

Full article

Tagging: @allthecanadianpolitics

[probablyasocialecologist]

Last year, during the hottest summer on record, Angel and hundreds of other workers on Dearnsdale fruit farm in Staffordshire were told to pick and sort about 100-150kg of strawberries every day inside polytunnels designed to trap heat. It was so hot that at least one worker fainted, she said. The strawberries they picked ended up on the shelves of some of the UK’s largest supermarkets, including Tesco, Co-op and Lidl.

An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and VICE World News has uncovered widespread mistreatment of migrants working at more than 20 UK farms, nurseries and packhouses in 2022. Workers reported a litany of problems, from not going to the toilet for fear of not hitting targets, to being made to work in gale-force winds. Some said they would be shouted at or punished for having their mobile in their pocket or talking to work colleagues while on the field. Others said they were threatened by recruiters with being deported or blacklisted.

Many were left in debt and destitution, and some left the UK being owed money by their employers. One worker even had to pull out his own tooth because he could not find appropriate medical care. Our findings expose a poorly enforced government visa scheme that is flagrantly breached by farms and recruiters, and which leaves people vulnerable to exploitation.

At Dearnsdale, those who made mistakes or failed to hit targets were routinely sanctioned. The most common punishment was to have their shift cut short – every day several workers would be sent back to their caravans after only a few hours’ work. That meant that on a day when a worker was hoping to earn money for eight hours of work, they would be paid for only three. The practice is common on farms using the visa scheme.

For workers like Angel, who took on debt to pay for visas and flights to come to the UK, having their earnings cut was devastating. Even after picking fruit and vegetables for five months, she still has not been able to pay off her £1,250 loan.

[...]

Human rights experts and lawyers say that the design of the UK seasonal worker visa puts workers at an increased risk of exploitation. Because these visas tie migrants to their sponsor, a recruiter, workers are then unable to seek work with anyone else, even if they have problems with their employer or their recruiter stops offering them work.

Workers are not only dependent on their recruiter and the farm employing them for work, but also for their housing, transportation and even information about their employment rights. Workers who are this dependent on their employer can find it harder to leave exploitative situations.

[miamaimania]

Earthen Embrace: A Colima Mother Figurine and the Chicana Voice 's black diamond

[chicanoartmovement]

CHICANO ART MOVEMENT attends: OC Fair 2024

(View at the Orange County Fair 2024 where it’s “always a good time” — this year’s theme.)

We made it to Costa Mesa, California for the last weekend of the OC Fair 2024 for extra long corn dogs, fresh lemonade, sweet & light funnel cake, and visual stimulation.

(South facing view of commemorative memorial honoring agriculture workers and their hard work.)

Entering through the blue gate, we came upon the “Table of Dignity” Memorial in commemoration of the agricultural workers by the Agricultural Association (32nd district) and the OC Fair & Event Center.

The only figurative artwork on the memorial as through its wall-thru archway which was created by artist Higgy Vasquez.

(Detailed view of inner walls of the walk through portal portion of the “Table of Dignity” monument.)

This pair of paintings “Dignity” & “Justicia” displayed the different phases of harvesting crops grown in Orange County such as grapes and strawberries.

One special elements of this memorial was the incorporation of live grape vines.

(View of participating collections and memorabilia at the year’s OC Fair.)

Next we moved on to the Hobbies & Handcrafts building in support of one of our street team member who had a pop culture display at the OC Fair.

(View of gallery sign at the Orange County Fair 2024.)

Afterwards we proceeded to the Visual Arts & Woodworking Gallery. There we came upon two life size cutouts: a pachuco and a pachuca.

(View of “Me Despojo De Todo Lo Que Disminuya El Valor de Mi Ofrenda” by Jacqueline Valenzuela, 2024.)

Lured in and while walking around the art booth, we saw the artista Jacqueline Valenzuela painting live. We were fortunate enough to chat with her & learned about her art collaboration with the fair.

“Jacqueline Valenzuela is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice is centered around depicting her personal experiences as well as the storytelling of other women who like her are in the Chicano world of lowriding. Her art practice reflects the deep roots she has planted in the lowrider community by bridging the gap between fine art and this underrepresented community.”

[sheltiechicago]

“Easy Grape” (2019), ink, gouache, collage, charcoal, and matte gel on recycled produce box, 27 x 30 inches. Photo by Michael Underwood.

In ‘From These Hands,’ Narsiso Martinez Honors Individuals Who Labor for the Food on America’s Tables

All images © Narsiso Martinez, courtesy of Buffalo AKG Museum

“Fruit Catcher” (2021), ink, charcoal, and gold leaf on cardboard produce box, 20 x 15 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches. Photo by Yubo Dong

“Golden Crop” (2021), ink, gouache, charcoal, and acrylics on juice carton. 11 3/4 x 15 1/4 inches. Photo by Yubo Dong

“Nature’s Candy Picker” (2023) ink, gouache, charcoal, and simple leaf in cherry box, 23 1/2 x 15 1/2 x 6 inches. Photo by Yubo Dong

“Paula” (2021), ink, gouache, charcoal, and acrylic on produce cardboard box, 16 x 27 3/4 inches. Photo by Yubo Dong

[bonesandpoemsandflowers]

some of you being like "any civilian killed in war time is a war crime" do not actually know what the legal term "war crime" means, but more importantly you seem to only care about certain causalities, whereas the poor Thai migrant farmhands getting slaughtered can go fuck themselves, apparently, because how dare they travel far from home, which is always a rural and poor area of Thailand, so that they can earn money to send back to their families, in most cases so that their children can go to college and escape the cycle of poverty.

but no! only one hash tag at a time as a thought in your brains.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Grist:

A growing number of companies are bringing automation to agriculture. It could ease the sector’s deepening labor shortage, help farmers manage costs, and protect workers from extreme heat. Automation could also improve yields by bringing greater accuracy to planting, harvesting, and farm management, potentially mitigating some of the challenges of growing food in an ever-warmer world. 

But many small farmers and producers across the country aren’t convinced. Barriers to adoption go beyond steep price tags to questions about whether the tools can do the jobs nearly as well as the workers they’d replace. Some of those same workers wonder what this trend might mean for them, and whether machines will lead to exploitation

On some farms, driverless tractors churn through acres of corn, soybeans, lettuce, and more. Such equipment is expensive, and requires mastering new tools, but row crops are fairly easy to automate. Harvesting small, non-uniform and easily damaged fruits like blackberries, or big citruses that take a bit of strength and dexterity to pull off a tree, would be much harder. 

That doesn’t deter scientists like Xin Zhang, a biological and agricultural engineer at Mississippi State University. Working with a team at Georgia Institute of Technology, she wants to apply some of the automation techniques surgeons use, and the object-recognition power of advanced cameras and computers, to create robotic berry-picking arms that can pluck the fruits without creating a sticky, purple mess.

The scientists have collaborated with farmers for field trials, but Zhang isn’t sure when the machine might be ready for consumers. Although robotic harvesting is not widespread, a smattering of products have hit the market, and can be seen working from Washington’s orchards to Florida’s produce farms. 

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Grain and General Services Union (GSU) Locals 1 and 2 have presented Viterra Canada Inc. with a 72-hour strike notice. Viterra operates grain elevators, processing plants and other agricultural infrastructure in Canada and the U.S. Its Canadian head office is in Regina. GSU Locals 1 and 2 represent 436 employees across Saskatchewan. The union said the notice was given on Tuesday afternoon after more than a year of negotiating with Viterra. The union says it's seeking fair wages, improved work-life balance and workplace respect.

Continue Reading

Tagging @politicsofcanada

[girderednerve]

Florida banned local governments from providing increased oversight for workers exposed to high temperatures earlier this year, saying businesses and federal regulators alone could keep laborers safe.

But the Tampa Bay Times found far more workers have died from heat across the state than authorities even know.

The missing deaths bring recorded heat fatalities in Florida to at least 37 over the past decade — double the number federal regulators had tallied during the same period.

Employers are supposed to notify the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which oversees worker safety, about employee deaths within hours. OSHA has fined six businesses in the state after discovering they didn’t follow the rule when workers died from heat.

The Times identified 19 additional heat-related deaths kept from the agency. The 19 deaths identified by the Times that are missing from OSHA’s tally included day laborers, roofers, construction workers and landscapers. Many died after working for lawn care companies on private homes, some just hundreds of feet from air conditioning and running water.

Taken together, the Times found that Florida companies have failed to report the vast majority of heat fatalities as required.

Workers died after hot days spent roofing houses, packing boxes and harvesting fruit. Many were young. They’d just started jobs, unaccustomed to Florida’s stifling heat and humidity.

It was the work they could get after being released from prison. After not finishing high school. After leaving families abroad to build a different life for the next generation.

The vast majority were people of color. At least half were immigrants.

Some said they believed employees died of preexisting medical conditions. Others said workers’ compensation insurance told them the deaths weren’t work-related. One said the laborer who died technically wasn’t an employee.

Experts also said that companies employing undocumented workers might be less willing to report fatalities for fear it would draw attention to their operations. One of every five deaths that regulators knew nothing about was an undocumented laborer, the Times found.

Extreme heat is more deadly than any other natural disaster plaguing the U.S., killing more people annually than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined, according to the National Weather Service. Climate change is only increasing the threat.