Is Cotton Sustainable? Part 8: Cotton Farming Community

In my last post, I described the cotton field harvest we saw during the Cotton Farm Tour sponsored by the Sustainable Cotton Project. We had the opportunity to see firsthand, how cotton is harvested and compressed into modules in the cotton fields.  These modules are then transported by truck to the cotton gin.  After harvest, the picked cotton must be “ginned” to separate the cotton fiber from the cotton seed. 

But, before we traveled to the gin, we stopped for lunch at a park in Firebaugh where we were treated to a traditional Mexican lunch.  During lunch, we were welcomed by a representative of the city of Firebaugh and heard from several speakers about the many issues surrounding agriculture in the San Joaquin valley.

Dr. Marcia Sablan, Firebaugh City Council member and local physician discussed the health impacts that agricultural practices have on those living in the San Joaquin Valley.  The valley is often covered with an inversion layer that traps particulate in the air near the ground where it is inhaled by farm workers and residents of the valley.  In the summer the inversion layer traps ozone producing smog but in the winter it traps particulate which is even more dangerous for those with any pulmonary conditions.  She noted a higher than normal incidence of asthma and other pulmonary disorders in the valley.  Toxic herbicides and insecticides used to spray the fields are being trapped in the inversion layer.  Many of these sprays contain organophosphates which affect the nervous system.  She also noted the alarming incidence of cancers, especially renal cancer among valley residents of Firebaugh, especially in those who work the farms.  Additionally, there is an increased rate of diabetes in the local Hispanic community (most of whom work in the fields) linked to chemical exposure. And most of these individuals have no medical insurance.  Dr. Sablan also discussed the high unemployment in the valley.  In the city of Firebaugh, there is 25% unemployment.  In desperation, many migrant farmers travel long distanced to find work.  Many travel to Washington to pick apples.  This destabilizes the family and contributes to the increase in domestic violence. Clearly providing adequate health care and social services is an issue of concern in the region.

As described in previous posts, the threat of crop damage from pests is significant and of great concern to farmers.  During lunch, Dr. Pete Goodell from the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest management Program discussed farming practices in the region.  Both a concern for the local resident’s health and the shortage of water in the region has increased the number of farmers participating in programs like SCP in order to find ways to grow all types of crops in a more sustainable manner.  Using a systems approach, SCP is coordinating an effort to build connections and communication between growers and state and local agencies to move sustainable agriculture forward.  

To hear more from these individuals, see http://www.sustainablecotton.org/videos.

Water, or the lack of it, is a central issue to farmers of all crops in the San Joaquin Valley. Dan Munk with the Fresno UC Cooperative Extension discussed some of the issues surrounding water supply, water use, and methods of water conservation.  One of the methods I found interesting involved the use of GPS to map water needs within a field, allowing farmers to selectively water just the areas that need it.

Then it was on to our next stop, the Anderson Clayton Silver Creek Gin.