- Patel's chapter focuses primarily on the effects of and responses to NAFTA by farmers in both Mexico and the US. What have the effects been? What are the various ways in which farmers have responded?
- Patel begins and ends his chapter discussing one form of response: that of protest. He frames the chapter with the global solidarity movement of farmers that was sparked by Lee Kyung Hae's death in Cancun in 2003. What linked Lee Kyung Hae's death to farmers in countries elsewhere? And why did Mexican farmers chant "Lee, hermano, te has hecho Mexicano"? Along the same lines, how would you link what has happened in Mexico with the transformations in Jamaica that you saw described in Life and Debt?
- How has NAFTA effected immigration in the US and how has it effected populations who remain in Mexico?
- What is the relationship between Mexico and California? California is in an enormous budget crisis today, while its population continues to have one of the highest average incomes in the country. According to Patel, what are some of the issues that California is facing? How are those issues linked to Mexico?
- What forms of resistance to economic inequality have been effective in making change to the system?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Free Trade in North America?
This week, we will be discussing international free trade agreements, which have been a major component of "globalization" over the past twenty years. We will discuss what international trade agreements involve, why they were created, the rationale behind them, and what effects they have had on the circulation of money and people within and across borders. We'll focus on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its effects on people in the US and Mexico. The chapter that we're reading this week, Raj Patel's "You have become Mexican," explores the effects of NAFTA on agriculture in Mexico and the US and the relations between them. As you read through the chapter and write your commentaries, focus on the following questions:
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The effects that Patel discusses are the increase migrantion from countryside to the cities, from country to country (usually from Mexico to the US), the peso collapsing in Mexico and causing economic problems which lead to a lot of services meant to help poor farmers (and poor people in general) being cut or taken away and an increase in food prices. Also the increase of high calorie foods being imported in to the country and the obesity rate going up. Farmers have tried protesting in the cities and at Wal-Mex in an attempt to gain the attention from the government and have them to something about it.
ReplyDeleteLee Hyung Hae's death was linked to farmers all around the world because he shared the same views of what the free trade and economic change has done to him and to his country in general. He, like many others, wanted to resist these changes. This is why Mexican farmers chanted "Lee, hermano, te has hecho Mexicano". It is for the same reason why I link the changes in Mexico with the changes in Jamaica. That due to the demand of globalization, free trade and capitalism which is titled to the benefit of the First World countries (like the US, Canada and UK) and to large companies who have a monopoly on the food industry. They all have a hand in all these countries in some type of way and you can distinctly see the resemblance. Farmers are forced to sell their products for cheap or just simply forced to the cities to work causing workers' wages to decrease. Many are forced in to the hands of either the big companies, like Tyson Meat, or in to the hands of the banks who drown them in debts. Because it is a globalized thing being done by the same big companies, the farmers, no matter where, suffer because of same companies and banks.
The NAFTA effected immigration in the US because it forced a lot of farmers in Mexico in to a desperate situation. It influenced a lot of the youth in the countryside to move to the city and even further, in to the United States. Due to the increase of people leaving for the US, there is a large number of money being sent from immigrants to their families in Mexico. These funds is more then what most rich countries hand out to poorer countries. They do this with the hopes of helping their community. Also the NAFTA encourages a lot of these immigrants to work in the agriculture industries here, making a lot of them overworked and underpaid and mistreated in these factories.
California has a relationship with Mexico because a lot of the cheap labor they use are usually illegal immigrants. A lot of people living in California are immigrants without papers, so they must work under these poor conditions. They have to take whatever job they can causing them to being exploited. A lot of the manufacturing jobs in California are not available because a lot of companies are closing factories there and are being opened in other countries (Mexico, Asia, ect.). This is linked to the issues in Mexico because now there is an increase of a pull factor to the cities for poor farmers.
A form of resistance to the economic inequality that had the most effect, in my opinion, was when immigrants (with or without papers) stayed away from work in the US. This was called "Day without Immigrants". I think it was very effective because it did put a dent in profits of the big companies (which, not surprisingly, were mostly the food business). Also it reminded people that it is the immigrant people who make up most of the work force in these companies and reestablished that they were valuable workers just like any American citizen if not, more needed workers in which these companies and big businesses of America are dependent on. Boycotts on the California grapes were also a good form of resistance in making some type of change in the system, even if it backedfired. These forms of protest reminds people of the value of farmers and immigrants as workers and as people.
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ReplyDeleteBoth the farmers in the US and the farmers in Mexico are being negatively affected by the NAFTA. Farmers in Mexico had to suffer when there was no market for their produce- America was just producing it too cheaply. Then, the peso collapsed and they were forced to take cuts in their aid. Later, when federal aid was made available (on a per family basis) they were receiving pennies compared to what those in the cities were getting. The only available foods are now fattening ones imported from across the border. At the same time in the US farmer suicide rates were spiking as an affect of the low interest rates if the 7o’s. It was then that the government pushed farmers to produce more to sustain what seemed like an insatiable market. Other countries decided to compete, over production occurred, and then there was an “agricultural glut”. By the 80’s the return on crops was less then what was needed to produce them. Saddles with loads of debt, farm poverty rates jumped 8 percent and suicide rates rose. Within seven years over a million jobs were lost in farming and allied industries, while food production employment saw a jump. Farmers have responded by forming advocate groups, they have protested, and even killed themselves to make a point.
ReplyDeleteThe link between Lee Kyung Hae’s death and that of farmers in other countries was because the plight of this farmer was a universal one. The Mexican farmers chanted “Lee, hermano, te has hecho Mexicano” because they too identified with the heartbreak of loosing what you had worked so hard for because of the greed of another. They too had had farms, they new what it was like to take out an increasing number of loans, to be a David against the Goliath of “free trade”. Like Life and Debt the professed “free trade” has now made Mexico a slave to the market of a few giant companies, as it did to Jamaica.
Because of NAFTA, and not being able to compete in a market where you are out produced and out banked many Mexicans have migrated to the US, because these migrant workers are mostly male many Mexican families are left without a father. In, California, legal migrant workers are paid minimum wage while illegal ones are paid far less. Because of the huge influx of migrant workers the wage rate has been pushed down. Patel says “The fact that US jobs in the agricultural sector are taken by migrant laborers is the other side of the equation in Mexico.”
“Day Without Immigrants” seemed to me to be an effective way, based on the reading. They proved what kind of a force they were. They proved that without them, the factories/plants would not run properly and the companies would be forced to take a dent in their profits.
The North America free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a system to help trading through countries so that everyone gets a profit. There are two rich countries trading with a poor country. It is not always profitable for the poor country; they are actually being taken advantage of. Some effects of this system are: The rich countries get their labor for cheap and the poor country is always loosing instead of gaining. Also can be said for the farmers in all of these countries, the readings focus was on the U.S and Mexico. It seems that the cost of producing the goods was more than what the framers would receive back in profit. Even though the price was going down for consumers, but the farmers couldn’t afford it still. Some responses were in protest, chants and even plays. A quote from Shakespeare was taken; the farmers said “corn for the rich men only.” The farmers respond because they are losing and they aren’t able to even purchase the goods they them self produce.
ReplyDeleteThe start of the chapter about Lee Kyung Hae death captures other farmers around the world. This incident shows them that they are all connected because they all experience the same issues in farming. They are unable to even afford the goods they produce and they are all in debt because of the government and farming. The chant the Mexican shout for Lee Kyung Hae was ”Lee, hermano, te has hecho Mexicano". This means “Lee, brother you have become Mexican”. They shout this Chant for him because he lived on their land, he knew the people and he knew the government there. He lived by the people and abided by them also. He was a farmer in the same debt and issues as the rest of those around him; He could feel how they did. These changes in Mexico link with the changes in Jamaica also because of how the farmers feel. The whole globalizing and world trade concept. It’s just helping the corporations and the farmers and the consumers are suffering from it. From that there was no sense staying in Mexico. There has been migration from the rural areas to the cities. The farming jobs aren’t working out, they are suffering from it. They move to the cities for jobs and hope for a better life. That is the relationship between Mexico and California. They are moving to California because migrant workers are being paid minimum wage, then the illegal migrants get paid less than that. A form of resistance was when the immigrants didn’t work for a day and they called it “A day without immigrants”. This was most effective because they showed how impotent the immigrants were to the factories and the industry. The corporations had a dent in their profit.
The North America free Trade Agreement(NAFTA)control over the agricultural flows between Mexico and United States. The Mexican farming was being affected the most. In fact, the farmers in Mexico are generally poor already, but the low salaries made them lost the hope in their lives. Some products were cheap already, but when their products were cheap already, but when their products were sent to the supermarkets, these companies usually charged customers a little bit higher. The money didn't go to farmers' prokets. This is the main reason why Mexican farmers would committie suicide, and it's rate keep increasing. Lee Hyung Hue's death was linked to the global agricultural issue. All the farmers having a same issue, and this is why they focus on Lee's death. "Lee, hermono, te has hecho Mexican dig?" means " Lee, brother you have Mexican" They said it because most farmers feel compassionate to his death especially the same situcation they have. Additionally, those farmers didn't want to continue working in farms. They were suffering in doing farm works. Therefore, some people chose to move to the California because it is a rich city and there are more jobs available. Migrant workers will receieve minimum wage, but illegal migrant will receive less then that. “Day Without Immigrants” means the companies wouldn't run if these immigrants workers are not working since they are paying low salaries.
ReplyDelete-ka
The North American Free trade Agreement(NAFTA) an economic union between Mexico, the United State,and Canada. NAFTA included trade in the livelihood of Mexico's poorest against the most productive and highly subsidized agricultural sectors in the world.The big reason behind this trade agreement was the desire of wealth, freedom,enterprise and good life from the rich country.This effected the great wealthy Mexican Farmer around the borders of USA and Mexico, they'd been sold to the rich comsumers That NAFTA have full control over of what those farmers grows and sells. The farmers can't make their own choice of what fruits or vegatables they want to grow they must follow what NAFTA say. This actually crupted almost all farming systems in Mexico .NAFTA(The North American Free trade Agreement) and MTO (World Trade Organization) Importing unhealty food to poor Mexicans and other countries that increased obesity and diet related diseases among people around the world esp.in Mexico today.
ReplyDeleteWhen a farmer shakes hands with NAFTA or MTO there is no coming back, first of all, working with NAFTA or MTO could cause a farmer to go bankrupt because the products they are told to buy from NAFTA or MTO to get their farm going is that they have to spend more money then what they earn or have, that causes farmers to get loans on products and increases chance of bankruptcy. The death of Lee Kyung Hae (a Mexican farmer) was caused by this,he struggled with free trade, his lack of freedom and his despair after bankruptcy.These words spreaded throughout the global network of how Mexico became a laboratory mouse for NAFTA. This is a wake up call made to other countries such as India, Thailand, Brazil, and dozens of other countries that have protested against this violence of MTO ( World Trade Organization) because similar stories can be found in South Korea, Mexico, India and even in The United State. The global free trade has killled millions of manufacturing jobs, and closed down thousands of factories here in USA esp.in California which shifted their plants to Mexicao, Asia and China because it is cheap,.and California is way far ahead compared to other states in USA with third worldization (making third world countries work for USA,UK and other rich countries). In California(USA) rates has the highest death of farmers compared to other states in USA because Most Farmers there gets controled by larger industries and companies, which causes farmers to go bankrupt and unfree about what their doing, and most of these industries and companies are also partly controled by strong goverment agencies that poor farmers can't do anything about this.
-Saliha
Departing from Raj Patel's description of the subject - the NAFTA is the institution that have primar influence on the Mexico/Northern America trade market. This organisation is the one whom fix the costs, price and quality norms of the ready product that Mexican farmers are due to them. However, the tendency of the U.S. to buy products cheap, nearly equal to the costs of their production, have resulted to the fall of the peso - the local Mexican currency, since farmers, an occupation of the major part of Mexico's population, get barely a profit from their products. Moreover, the increasing gap of poverty that have appeared in the background of that situation is getting bigger and worse ; people can't afford fresh products that they produce themselves and in a way, they are pushed to consum cheap, fat, unhealthy, too rich in calories food that's imported from the U.S .Which is fraught to their health. In other words,
ReplyDeleteas the situation is getting worse, Mexicans are reaching a new threshold of poverty. What issue they have left then? Right. They choose to cross the desert. If they do so and immigrate to North America legally - they're enrolll to an agriculture program from a big company, where they will be ill-treated, low-waged, overhelmed with the hours of their operation, and illegally - working with nearly the same conditions as legal immigrants but under the risk of being convicted to law responsibility and get jailed in America. While the bravest are working in California, where most of the workers are similarly to them - unratified workers; without the right to complain and obstain to their employers for heavy working conditions, they do their work and manage to send some money to their home. For the youngsters part- they try hard to pull out from the farms and rural area, to the urban and help their local populace. California subish now the consequences for letting that situation be. They pulled these people to work for them, but the didn't ensure their own population to have access to work in the manufacturing and agriculture industries; They're closing all their factories at home and plan now, to open new factories spots in Third-World countries. This relates well with the abusive form that California entrepreneurs and employers were using Mexicans workers, with the growth of number and flow of the Mexicans looking for jobs in a nest that have been founded for them in exchange of the total distortion of the agriculture, farming and food production industries at their place - and as consequence their total bankrupcy, in Mexico.
Tashibay.
Nafta took it upon itself to create immigration in the United States from Mexico.A segment said move from rural areas to cities its the same as crossing the border for a better life. Mexico is also at fault for there thirst to become part of this worldtrading where major countries used them as testing grounds for their porducts to see how they would react in those types of economical nations. Once NAFTA interfered with mexicos market an immmeddiate response was the decrease in value of the peso and then the decrease in price of corn. Mexican farmers were in shock but had no idea what to do if they knew the priciple of price and demand they would have decreased production to generate more money. Instead they generated more corn then they could sell which woresend the situation at hand which wa to make the peso have more of an equal value to the US dollar. NAFTA then imposed there expectations on what goods they can produce and consume. Of course as expected it was the unhealthy fatty foods that made the country overweight in certain areas. By controlling what the mexican farmers had to produce led to suicides that increased as years passed. This was because there soil could barely produce corn yet they were expected to grow crops that couldnt last in there soil which was the poorest in the world. The common tactic that the US does to take control of these econmies is to first plumit there markets then endorse them through loans that cannot be met to surpass borrowing but a constant cycle. As we saw in Mr.Patels reading we destroyed the peso and made their economy rely on how well the United States was.
ReplyDelete-Anastasios Georgakopoulos
Raj Patel's Stuffed and Starved chapter on the discussion on NAFTA responses and effects made by farmers in both Mexico and the United States showcase such effects made by those listed is of which NAFTA influenced negatively on exports of goods,availability of jobs, and the environment as a whole means.
ReplyDeleteCrops from farmers in the United States and of Mexico increased in Volume as far as agricultural growth of crops but they fairly diminished in sight due to land issues that made it harder for certain countries to grow and produce food of mass amounts. Whereas the look toward farmer suicides coincided with a certain control of power and possible dictation of what needed to be grown and when it should be delivered by the states. Mexico and it's farmers used common knowledge whereas U.S used certain tactics to achieve and conspire to get what they wanted. Truth be told certain agendas the United States used may have strengthened them at the time but it hurt them in the later years of America's future as seen of today's economic and agricultural state.
Raj Patel in this chapter discusses that the NAFTA was introduced by the North American countries so that they can have benefit from each other but NAFTA came out a night mare for the third world countries (Mexico). The farmers of Mexico started to face draw backs and they fell in economic crises. Also, the first world counties were producing very cheap food as compared to Mexico which devaluated the Mexican peso. The collapse of peso was the dramatic push back for Mexican farmers, due to which the prices of food went up with very fast rate and the whole country faced poverty and hunger. This caused the increase in migrations from Mexico to the other countries – specifically to United States. In response to this unjustified action, effected farmers of both US and Mexico protested they did suicides and formed and advocate group to raise their voices.
ReplyDeleteLee Kyung Hae’s death was linked to the famers of the world because he was fighting against the free trade which had affected the farmers and this is what the famers of other countries were also going through, specially the poor farmers for Mexico. After Hae’s death the farmers of the world started the movement and in Mexico famers were chanting “Lee, hermano, te has hecho Mecicano”. This situation is also liked to what happening is Jamaica that first world countries are forcing free trade on the famers and they are in really bad economic conditions. Due to the large import and cheap imported food the famers of Jamaica are out of business and they are struggling to survive.
As NAFTA is affecting the Mexican poor farmers and they have poverty in their country which is forcing them to leave their land and migrate to the first world countries like US and Canada for work opportunities. Most of the Mexicans are illegal therefore; they have to work in the bad conditions on very low wage rate. Surprisingly, a large number of Mexicans are found in California working for the big companies. Through earning in US they send money to their family and relatives to support them and to take them out of economic crises. Patel mentions in the chapter that the farmers and immigrants resisted against the economic inequality they protested by going on strike for a day which is called “A Day without immigrants” to provoke the importance and rights of them to others which caused lost in profit to the businesses that depends directly or indirectly upon them.
The NAFTA organization was designed in order to benefit the agriculture of trading between the USA and mexico.The NAFTA was consider to be a good source for the economic expasion but it resulted to be only beneficial to the cities and the USA.The farmers were being affected by this NAFTA organization because it reduce the amount of money they recive for their labor. In the contrary it benefited the city of mexico and the USA because they were able to purchase the merchandise for a lower value and sell it at a higher amount. This made urban areas make more money than rural areas that were actually working with the merchandise. This made mexicans that live in rural areas to travel to the city or to the USA in search of better economic opportunities.
ReplyDeleteEventhought mexicans immigrated to the USA they were still under economic pressure because they were doing hard labor as working in factories under difficult circumstances. This made immigrants want to protest in order to get paid more.The issue with farmers was more chaotic in mexico because farmers carry by their impotence of not being able to sustain themselves and family economically they commited the act of suicide. This was a very tragic issue that was affecting many farmers not only in mexico but around the world.some of the issues that california is facing is that they have a lot of mexican workers that were being mistreated because they were working for long hours and for a low wage.The same way mexican farmers were experiencing in mexico.