Even at the farmers market, we do not always get to meet and thank the hardworking people who dedicate their lives to growing and harvesting our food. National Farmworker Awareness Week occurs March 25 through 31, and it provides an opportunity for us to honor farmworkers’ important contributions to our food system and communities. With 85% of our fresh fruits and vegetables being handpicked, it’s undeniable that our wellbeing is bound to that of farmworkers. This is captured in this year’s Farmworker Awareness Week’s theme: Todos Unidos (“bound together”).
In celebration of National Farmworker Awareness Week and Cesar Chavez’s birthday, we asked our Ferry Plaza Farmers Market farms to shine a light on some of the team members who are vital to their farming operations. These heroes bring their specialized skills and knowledge, decades of experience, and passion to keeping us well fed. Here are a few of their stories. (For more, check out the stories from last year, too.)