issue no. 775

THE WORD ‘ACCOUNTABILITY’ . . .

has been on my mind lately. Especially the ways that it gets confused or misused as a punitive or judgmental tool, rather than a welcoming one.

I think labor is something that by nature embodies this duality. It can be seen as a chore, or a livelihood. Work can diminish your energy, or enliven it. It can be a place of growth or a barrier that holds you back.

As the trees bud and the grass springs up, I feel this duality anew. My senses are dancing over the colors and textures and sounds of spring, but my mind is dreading the energy it takes to keep up with planting, weeding, trimming, mowing.

When I feel overwhelmed by multiple truths, I return to my heart center, which is exactly the place from which accountability springs, in my view. Accountability is an act of love. It’s a way of saying: we want things to be better, more human. But the response to accountability can be filled with fear and shame, which lead to defensiveness. Accountability is not about perfection, but fear and shame will make the claim that it is, and prompt responses that are counterproductive.

We’re reminded of last week’s mention of the recent efforts to speak out against abusive employers at NOMA . Many people could say, what’s the point of dredging this up? It’s in the past. But to us this is an example of accountability as an act of love through the process of repair. No matter the outcome, repair is something that comes from the heart, and it’s necessary.

That’s why we’re here to stand up for the subtle shifts that accountability offers. The small things that create dramatic impacts: a box of free tampons and pads in a public restroom, a sign written in multiple languages, a quiet, dim space for rest when the light and noise of a workday are too much.

Over the years, we’ve created a lot of different policies and guidelines to increase our own accountability as a platform for job listings. The response to those shifts is mostly positive, but sometimes we feel the pain of how imperfect they are, how impossible it is to provide a service that satisfies everyone , and how small these efforts feel in comparison to the Big Problems that abound across every sector of the working world.

As farming jobs spring up to prepare for seasons of growth and eventual harvest, we notice that tension in our refusal to post jobs that compensate workers with housing and fresh food. It’s not because we don’t value housing and fresh food. It’s not because we don’t understand that farmers struggling to make ends meet, to maintain access to land that is already so inaccessible to many, are up against the ability to keep farming in the first place. It’s because of the not-so-simple fact that a ‘good food job’, as we’ve defined it, is one that takes a stand to address the ways that unpaid or underpaid labor on farms is exploitative and unsustainable.

When a farm worker has to rely on their employer as their landlord, it exacerbates the power differential in ways that range from stressful to devastating. The principle of a person’s wages being met at a livable rate is similar to that of universal basic income programs: it’s about the dignity of allowing each worker to determine where their wages go, the dignity of prioritizing their own needs, the dignity of sustaining their own lives.

Reading this week about the recent changes to the H-2A visa program and its impact on farm workers, I saw the compounding effect of dehumanizing systems putting increased tension on the needs of farm owners and farm workers. In addition to allowing housing to be part of a compensation package to farm workers, these changes can lower a person’s hourly wage by as much as $7 per hour - a figure that seems ridiculous when you look at how low wages for farm work already are in many states. The United Farm Workers foundation has responded with a lawsuit, stating that this wage cut “represents one of the largest wealth transfers from workers to employers in U.S. agricultural history.”

There is extensive documentation by journalists and advocates that the H-2A visa program already allows for employers to create indentured servitude, and is rife with the abuses that come along with such a system - including theft, exploitation, victimization, and trafficking. It is frustrating to watch

an already dehumanizing system expand and deepen its injustices, in the name of helping farm owners staff their operations. Knowing that many farmers are in desperate situations, seeking labor to grow and harvest their crops, we feel the duality of our reliance on systems that are harmful, even as many of us are trying to make a better way forward.

More than 200 of our current job listings are farm jobs, which is a little more than 1/3 of our total listings. We are grateful to offer job seekers a place to know that every listing is one that pays at least $15/hour , before any non-monetary compensation. We also know that it leaves out a lot of farms offering opportunities for people who need them. Some of those opportunities might pay less, or offer more non-monetary benefits, and we are not saying that those jobs are bad, or that those employers aren’t doing enough. By creating one pathway of accountability through our policies, we are not invoking shame to those who can’t meet our requirements. We are creating a space for something different. Something that inspires subtle shifts, ripples in the fabric that weaves us all together.

For each person here with us, listening, asking questions, and attempting to put your heart at the center of your daily work, we see you. Thanks for being with us.

With love,

Dor + Tay

photo by Estefania Trujillo Preciado

tidbits...

resources on anti-racism, environmentalism and food culture AKA stuff we’re reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday . . .

Do One Small Thing . . . We’re getting our bearings with the Substack tools, and last week we had a lively and inspiring flurry of responses to the prompt we posed on our Substack chat . Do check it out for a dose of love and beauty to get you through your day. Today, we’re sending you to the comments section of this post to chime in and share: what is one class or book that you would recommend to others that can help them become more accountable humans in this world?

Read the full statement from the United Farm Workers foundation, including the voices of farm workers .

“…the millions of dollars going to this program should be reinvested in supporting a comprehensive immigration reform for all immigrants already in this country. At the same time, we need amnesty for all immigrants in this country, and real reforms for the H-2A guest worker program that protect workers from employer abuses and exploitation.” - Rosa Maria Navarro for TIME.

“Lowering wages for H-2A workers will not lead to more American workers in agriculture or increased pay for native workers.” - Linda Qiu for the New York Times (gift link)

The Economic Policy Institute offers alternatives to the new H-2A wage rules, and notes that “The Trump DOL is accepting input from the public through the Federal Register website on the AEWR interim final rule until December 1, 2025, which they are required by law to consider when crafting the final version of the rule.”

The perfect storm of factors impacting Ruby Duke ’s small food business Raven & Boar are not unique to her, but the way she’s transparently communicating them gives hope and inspiration for the way we can engage community to illuminate these systemic issues and support each other. Consider sharing , donating , and / or adapting in ways that keep your local food systems alive and thriving.

Not Our Farm ’s spring events are open for registration .

By way of Alicia Kennedy’s wonderful newsletter, this Palestinian Foodways Bibliography ‘collates writing, research, and other forms of documented knowledge (scholarly and otherwise)…broadly conceived to include agriculture, botanical knowledge, culinary practice, and social/cultural meaning. Initially assembled at a time of genocide and famine in Gaza, it aims to highlight Palestinians’ rootedness in their homeland, attest to their steadfastness in the face of ethnic cleansing, and underscore the significance and vibrancy of a food culture threatened by deliberate attempts at erasure.’

The Seasonal Slice for March is a yeasted cake that is “about waiting, watching, and making do with what you have. It’s a patient partner in this purgatory,” from Heirloom Food Project .

If you continue to feel overwhelmed with the state of the world and want to be better equipped to meet the moment, consider joining Nikki Blak ’s free workshop on Monday 3/30 (replay available).

Ryan Rose Weaver’s Spring Workshops are here, offering opportunities like Re-Claiming Our Power, Clearing Space for Grief, Tending Your Spiritual Truth, and more. You can learn more and register here .

Dor’s other newsletter, What the Wolf Wore , is a deep dive into the creative spirituality of writing, and the stories that underpin her forthcoming book .

View and share this free guide to How to Write a More Equitable Job Post , and stay tuned for new resources to deepen this work.

" Plenty has been written about the economic impact of the pandemic on the food industry, but not enough about its lingering effects on the bodies of people whose mission is to nourish us. " Read the latest GFJ Story on the creator behind Anjali's Cup, with words by Nicole J. Caruth and photos by Christine Han.

got a tidbit? drop it here for us and we’ll share it in next week’s newsletter.