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| 150 SW 13th Avenue, Miami, FL 33135 Phone (786) 264-1708; Fax (786) 264-1859 interfaith@sfiwj.org; www.sfiwj.org |
SFIWJ staff and interns attended a Women's Leadership Group meeting on June 25,
2009 at the Homestead office of the Farmworker Association of Florida (FWAF). This
group developed as part of a Women of Color-Led Reproductive Justice grant from
the Miami-Dade Women’s Fund. The Miami-Dade Women’s Fund has been operating
since 1993, and is currently the only organization in Miami-Dade to write grants
specifically for gender-specific projects. This grant supports organizations which give
women of color the opportunity to advocate for the control of their reproductive health.
In South Dade, National Farm Worker Ministry representative Jeanette Smith is
working closely with Elvira Carvajal of the FWAF on a pesticide project to raise the
awareness of the women working in the nurseries and to also develop leadership
amongst these women.
During the recent meeting, the women discussed the hazard that companies located
in Mexico and producing genetically modified foods pose towards local farms. Birds
and insects, the main pollinators of plants, have been carrying the pollen from the
genetically modified crops to the crops of local farmers. This has caused local crops
to become increasingly modified, and has also caused harmful pesticides to spread
throughout the country. The women also discussed the ignorance many farmworkers
have regarding the dangers linked to pesticide exposure.
Following the meeting, a representative from the United States Census spoke to the
women about the importance of participating in the 2010 census. He emphasized the
importance of minority participation, as it will directly affect the allocation of
government funds to programs and organizations in minority communities.
| Women's Leadership Group Meets to Discuss the Dangers involved in the Production of Genetically Modified Food |