Modern-day slavery was focus of group’s tour of Immokalee

By ELYSA BATISTA (Contact)
Originally published 7:38 p.m., Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Updated 7:38 p.m., Wednesday, March 4, 2009

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/mar ... immokalee/

IMMOKALEE — The fight against human slavery and unfair wage practices in Florida’s agricultural industry got some new allies Wednesday.

For the first time, more than 10 leading sustainable food advocates visited Immokalee as part of a tour sponsored by Just Harvest USA, a national sustainable food nonprofit, and by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

The Department of Agriculture defines sustainable agriculture as competitive farming that is capable of maintaining its productivity and usefulness indefinitely, while maintaining social ideals and remaining environmentally sound.

The tour was aimed at giving the delegation an opportunity to see first-hand the living and working conditions of migrant farmworkers.

And the impact was immediate.

“This movement has been missing something fundamentally important. Today we are making that connection,â€