The Fight for Water: A Farm Worker Struggle

The Fight for Water Film is a serious documentary on how the Endangered Species Act has put fish before humans. It meant a serious and crippling cutback of water deliveries to farmers, which impacted communities on the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley in California.

In 2009, Film Director Juan Carlos Oseguera carried his camera on an historical 50-mile water march and into neighborhoods and food lines to speak to those impacted by the ESA ruling.

The film also focuses on two farmers Joe Del Bosque and George Delgado, who were once farm workers and later took the risk in becoming farmers and hiring dozens for farmworkers to help them. It tells the story on how the farmers started and how they grew their operations and were able to hire workers and pay them well. But then 2009 hit and the future of their farms became questionable.

The film is very timely as 2012 is worse than 2009, with many farmers receiving a zero allocation. This is due to a drought but also continue environmental restrictions that cause water to flow to the ocean instead of being exported to farms south of the Delta.

The film tells the story that no other media has done.

The interviews with farm workers in food lines is heartbreaking.

The opinions of mayors and other officials is illuminating.

And the frustration of Del Bosque and Delgado a reflection of hundreds of other farmers producing nutritious food for consumers, only to be fighting the biggest challenge of all--the Federal Government--is inconceivable.