Following protests over the weekend that turned violent, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department instated a curfew on Monday, and protests have still continued. According to Martha Montoya, who sits on the State Board of Food and Agriculture, the protests have been disrupting access to markets for small farmers, who are already struggling to adapt during the pandemic.
“It's a tough situation,” said Montoya at a board meeting Tuesday. “But now this one is even a little bit harder, because the supply chain is also disturbed.”
She explained that ethnic food marts and farmers' markets downtown have been “critical markets now that restaurants have shut down.” Small farmers send products here “when things are tough.”
Read about how small farmers are "left out" of federal aid at Agri-Pulse.com.
Top photo: A protest in Minneapolis, Minn., on Thursday.
