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In Watsonville, California — one of the world’s best berry-growing regions — an unprecedented development is unfolding.
Two activists who were raised in the community, Omar Dieguez and Providence Martinez Alaniz, are on Day 17 of a 30-day hunger strike.
The reason: to get Driscoll’s and California Giant Berry Farms, which both sell products under conventional and organic labels, to stop spraying toxic pesticides on fields next to schools in Watsonville and convert these farms to organic.
But the hunger strike raises a question that extends far beyond this city in California: if these two individuals are willing to give up food to demand pesticide-free farming, are consumers and retailers willing to give up berries from Driscoll’s and the California Giant Berry Farms to stand in solidarity with them?
The dilemma is stark.
Driscoll’s is not just any company — it is the world’s largest berry distributor, dominating both organic and conventional markets. It is also a central force in organic hydroponics, the industry’s most divisive and controversial issue; critics contend that hydroponics not only violates the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 but has decimated the livelihoods of small organic farmers who grow in the soil and must compete on an unlevel playing field.
And despite its global reputation for sustainability, Driscoll’s continues to rely on conventional production in Watsonville, often directly beside schools, and it does so knowing that parents, teachers and public health advocates have been sounding the alarm for years.
“As a young person, I grew up surrounded by fields where pesticides were constantly sprayed, and it is my belief that so many people have died and suffered because of these chemicals,” said Omar Dieguez. “This is personal to me, and it is affecting people I love. They have the money and expertise to go organic, but they are choosing profits over people.”
Dr. Ann López, executive director at the Center for Farmworker Families and author of The Farmworkers’ Journey, has also witnessed the devastation first-hand for decades.
“98.5% of the pesticides associated with childhood leukemia and 95.2% of pesticides tied to childhood brain cancer were applied in 2019 in Watsonville alone, and each year, more than 1 million pounds of pesticides are applied in Santa Cruz County.”
“Every family involved in conventional farming in this area has had a child affected by pesticides, whether it is brain cancer, bone cancer, autism, ADHD, behavioral disabilities, mental and learning disabilities, or effects that are often much more subtle and not as obvious. In the farmworker community, disease is so common that it is almost normalized. These kids could have had tremendous potential and now their lives are destroyed. It hurts my soul.”
(Graphic from the Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture)
A MORAL TEST FOR ORGANIC
For its part, Driscoll’s maintains that it is in full compliance with state and federal pesticide laws. California Giant Berry Farms did not respond to Organic Insider’s request for a comment on the hunger strike or if it would convert the farms they oversee in the Watsonville area to organic.
While these two companies may not be violating the law, the hunger strike of Omar Dieguez and Providence Martinez Alaniz will force the marketplace to make a choice.
Will shoppers and supermarkets demand change, or look the other way?
Will organic brands stay silent, or take a stand for farmworker and community health?
Organic is purported to be about elevated consciousness in the way it does business.
The question now is whether that consciousness extends beyond marketing — and whether the movement will speak out or remain quiet while toxic sprays drift across schoolyards.
Organic Insider will keep its readers informed as developments with the hunger strike unfold. To follow it more closely, Omar Dieguez is regularly posting on his Instagram, and Nik Altenberg of Santa Cruz Local is also providing frequent updates.
Click HERE to read our previous coverage about Driscoll’s and the extremely toxic pesticides that are sprayed near schools in Watsonville, California.
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Max Goldberg, Founder |
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