A farmworker in Mexico’s Chiapas state uses a long pole to make holes for planting corn seeds. This age-old method is still a common way to put to use rocky and almost barren fields where machines or oxen can’t till the land. With the NAFTA-imposed disappearance of guaranteed prices and subsidies for their crops, most of the farmers in this region can barely make ends meet. Many try to find work in other parts of Mexico or in the U.S. to support their families.

Farmworkers in Mexico’s Chiapas state make holes for planting corn seeds. This age-old method is still a common way to put to use rocky and almost barren fields where machines or oxen can’t till the land.

Oscar Guillermo Consuegro fumigates on the small field where he is growing corn in Mexico’s Chiapas state. With the NAFTA-imposed disappearance of guaranteed prices and subsidies for their crops, along with competition from mechanized farms, most of the farmers in this region can barely make ends meet.

A farmer in Mexico’s Chiapas state prepares his oxen to till the small field where he will grow corn. Working this way is still a common sight in parts of Mexico like Chiapas, where small-scale farmers have been unable to compete against larger, more mechanized farming models that thrive under NAFTA. Most of the small-scale farmers in this region can barely make ends meet. Many migrate to other parts of Mexico or to the U.S. to feed support their families.

In the remote, nearly inaccessible community of San Pedro Azul, Chiapas, Luis Arturo Gonzalo Gigen sits with his family members after working all day planting subsistence corn. In San Pedro, families have electricity but lack consistent water supplies. The community has an elementary school only, limiting educational opportunities and possibilities for advancement.

Farmers travel to their fields at sunrise, in Chiapas, long known as one of Mexico’s poorest states.

Bolivar Elizondo tends to his pigs on his 25-acre farm in the mountains near Bijagua, Costa Rica, where he raises chickens, pigs, pineapples and a dozen cows. He opposed the free trade agreement, CAFTA, since he believed it would make small scale farmers like himself even more vulnerable and promote unsustainable environmental practices.

Women register carrots, harvested from the communal garden in ejido 10 de Mayo, a tiny village where around 40 families reside in the Zapatista territory of Mexico’s Chiapas state. Two decades after clashing with Mexican authorities in a rebellion that made international headlines, the Zapatistas continue to operate autonomously from the Mexican State, under their own political system that is based on a collective economy, operates distinct health and education systems and emphasizes equality for women.

A bold sign warns farm laborers to remove fingernail polish before harvesting produce, for food safety reasons. Most of the produce is exported from this farm in central Mexico to the U.S., and is subject to stringent food safety measures.

Workers harvest broccoli in Mexico’s Guanajuato state for Vegpacker de Mexico, part of Valley Harvesting and Packing, a California based corporation that in 2006 moved some of its operations to Mexico due to uncertain availability of water and labor in the U.S. Most of the produce is exported to the U.S.

Workers harvest cauliflower in Mexico’s Guanajuato state for Vegpacker de Mexico, part of Valley Harvesting and Packing, a California based corporation that in 2006 moved some of its operations to Mexico due to uncertain availability of water and labor in the U.S. Management runs its Mexico farms in the same way it does in the US, using modern technology and emphasizing strict food safety measures. Most of the produce is exported to the U.S.

A worker at an industrial farm in Mexico’s Sinaloa state carries tomatoes to the central counting station. This farm is one of the ‘winners’ of NAFTA, since the owners quickly forged alliances with U.S. customers and were able to open a vast new market for their products. Most of the tomatoes picked by this worker will end up in U.S. stores.

Farm workers plant lettuce on a farm in Mexico’s Guanajuato state run by Vegpacker de Mexico, an affiliate of California based Valley Harvesting and Packing that moved some of its operations to Mexico in 2006. Most of the Mexico produce is exported to the U.S.

From his Mexico office, Steve Scaroni, CEO of U.S.-based Valley Harvesting and Packing, leads a daily conference call with his U.S. team, located in California. Scaroni moved part of his operation to Mexico in 2006, due to uncertain availability of water and labor in the U.S. Most of the Mexico produce is exported to large food chains in the U.S.

Workers from Vegpacker de Mexico install a sprinkler system using filtered water on a farm in Mexico’s Guanajuato state. Most of the farm’s produce is exported to the U.S.

A tractor preps a new field in Mexico’s Guanajuato state for Vegpacker de Mexico, part of Valley Harvesting and Packing, a California based corporation that in 2006 moved some of its operations to Mexico due to uncertain availability of water and labor in the U.S.

Workers harvest lettuce in Mexico’s Guanajuato state for Vegpacker de Mexico, part of Valley Harvesting and Packing, a California based corporation that in 2006 moved some operations to Mexico. Management runs its Mexico farms in the same way it does in the US, using modern technology and emphasizing strict food safety measures. Most of the produce is exported to the U.S.

Workers harvest lettuce in Mexico’s Guanajuato state for Vegpacker Mexico, and affiliate of a California based corporation that moved some of its operations to Mexico in 2006 due to uncertain availability of water and labor in the U.S. Management runs its Mexico farms in the same way as those in the U.S, using modern technology and emphasizing a food safety mindset amongst its workforce. Most of the produce is exported to the U.S. and when deadlines are tight works goes on into the night.

A worker at Vegpacker de Mexico returns to his village on a company bus after harvesting vegetables all day in Mexico’s central Guanajuato state. Vegpacker de Mexico is part of Valley Harvesting and Packing, a California based corporation that in 2006 moved some of its operations to Mexico due to uncertain availability of water and labor in the U.S. Most of the produce is exported to the U.S.