AZUCAR by Elizabeth Solis

Race, Poverty and the

Environment
Professor Raquel R
Pinderhughes
incolor.inebraska.com/cvanpelt/ sugarcane.html

Urban Studies Program

PublicSan Francisco
has permission State
to use the material herein,
University
but only if author(s), course, university and professor are credited.
To Begin:
This presentation will focus on Sugar.

I will be taking you through the

lifecycle of sugar, paying
particular attention to the
social, environmental and
public health impacts of the
processes associated with Debt-Bondage, Sugar Cane Cutter

sugar. www.photobrazil.com/
Brief Sugar History
Sugar is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the

http://www.diaspora-now.com/images/JF19Sugarcaneman.JPEG
world. It is believed to have started life as a type
of grass some 3,000 years ago in what is now
known as New Guinea. It requires a tropical
climate to thrive and is found mostly in
equatorial zones. 1
Sugarcane culture and cultivation as we know it
spread along migration routes along Southeast
Asia, Polynesia, and India. 2
It arrived in the Americas with Columbus on his
second voyage to the “New World”. By the mid
16th century the sugar industry was completely
dependant on black slave labor. 3
 Where is Sugar
located?
Currently, sugar is being produced in 120 countries worldwide. It is
one of the most heavily traded commodities. 4

Sugar cane requires

a tropical climate to
grow.

Most of it is cultivated
between latitudes 30º S
and 30º N.5
Community Dependence
For the most part sugarcane is
grown in rural areas as a
monoculture. This destroys
local ecosystems and native
forage.
Surrounding communities are
usually dependant on the
sugarcane plantation for
employment.
Many countries are dependant on
sugarcane for economic
stability being that it is their
www.sadcreview.com/.../mauritius/ mauritiusAgriculture.htm

leading export.
 Conditions of Workers:
Sugar cane workers live and work in some of the poorest conditions imaginable. Some
of the conditions found in Haitian bateyes (cane communities) are as follows:
“Latrines are usually not available. Potable water is rare. Electricity, a luxury. Dirt roads
become muddy lakes when it rains and entire bateyes are often cut off from the
outside world -and food and water- for days at a time. Where sanitary services are
available, they generally have been built by non-governmental organizations, not the
government . . . Inside the bateyes, health care is almost non-existent. In some
bateyes non-governmental organizations have set up rustic medical clinics, but a
physician is usually available only one day per week . . . Access to education is also
hard. Where state primary schools exist, Dominican-Haitian children with proper
documentation attend. Children of Haitian parents who have not been registered as
Dominican citizens are denied access . . .” (National Coalition for Haitian Rights,
"Beyond the Bateyes").
6
Conditions of Workers
(continued) :

In order to maximize profits the sugar industry

tries to guarantee the rights of workers be
repressed. It is advantageous for the industry
when workers are unable to organize.
How is Sugar Cane
Harvested?
Sugar cane is harvested by
chopping down the stems but
leaving the roots so that it re-
grows in time for the next crop.
Harvest times tend to be during
the dry season and the length of
the harvest ranges from as little
as 2 ½ months up to 11 months.
The cane is taken to the factory:
often by truck or rail wagon but
sometimes on a cart pulled by a
bullock or a donkey.
(http://www.sucrose.com/lcane.html)

http://www.sucrose.com/lcane.html
Sugar
Extraction
Sugar canes are weighed and washed
before they are juiced. Then they are

www.sugarweb.co.uk/sugar/refined/ refiningcane.html
sent through crushers and then into
the mill. The juice is collected and it
is clarified to remove mud and
separate any material found different
from sucrose.

This is then followed by an evaporation

process to prepare the syrup. Once it is
in syrup form it is crystallized to
separate out the liquor, and centrifuged
to separate molasses from the crystals.7
 How are communities, workers and the
environment impacted by these
extractive processes?

Production of sugar cane in Sugar cane is often cultivated in an

many countries has moved to
marginal areas removing
natural rainforests,
mangroves, and other
sensitive environments. Cane
production is usually
associated with reduced
wildlife biodiversity, water
pollution, and soil erosion.
environmentally irresponsible
manner, including the careless use
of pesticides and fertilizers, poor
management of irrigation, air
pollution form burning cane, and
damage to coral reefs. 8

Typical environmental impacts caused by sugar

manufacture are wastewater, gaseous emissions,
and solid waste. 9
Impacts continued…
The industry also generates a
liquid waste known as
“vinasse” It is highly acidic
and contains high amounts
of organic matter that upon
oxidation can deprive the
surrounding environment of
oxygen. Marine
communities directly
affected by such wastes are
destroyed.10
In addition to “vinasse” the
extraction process of
sugar produces high
amounts of a fibrous
material known as
bagasses. Bagassosis is a
recognized occupational
lung disease caused by
spores of moldy bagasse.11
 Sugar Cane supports a variety of uses and products in the
Sugar uses: energy, industrial, and agricultural sectors, based on
different resource streams: sugars, molasses/juice, and crop
residues. 12

Sugar Cane

Sugar/solids Molasses/juice Crop Residues

Raw Sugar Industrial Uses Steam & Electricity

Refined Sugar Commercial Products Fuel Briquettes

Fertilizers Ethanol Agricultural products

Industrial Uses Stillage Industrial Products

Fertilizer

Methane
 Distribution:
There are 20 major sugar
producing countries. With the
exception of India, China,
U.S.A., Russia, and Japan, the
other sugar producing countries
export most of their crops. As I
http://www.upenn.edu/ARG/archive/church/Church-Sugarcane.gif
mentioned before, sugar is one
of the most heavily traded
The U.S is the world’s commodities in the world.14
largest consumer of
natural sweeteners and
one of the world’s largest
importers of sugar. 13
What is the purpose of sugar?
I found over 70 types of sugar and endless amounts of
uses. In addition to its uses in our everyday
15

consumption, sugar is also recommended for

newborns to reduce the pain of medical tests, a
remedy to cure hiccups, and a way to keep cut
flowers fresh.
16

But sugar is found in almost every product in the

supermarket, the easiest way to identify the sugar
content in your food is by looking on the nutrition
label on the back of any product.
Common types of Sugar:
 Brown Sugar

www.daniscosugar.com/images/ upl_img_themes/cakes.jpg
 Icing Sugar
 Granulated Sugar
 Powdered Sugar
How are we affected when we use these
products?

I’m sure we are all aware In 2000 the U.S.

of the fact that we Department of
should monitor our Agriculture (USDA)
sugar intake. The World data revealed that the
Heath Organization has average American
recently put out a study consumed 158
stating we should not pounds of sugar. That
consume more that 10% number has increased
of calories from sugar. 17 almost every year
since 1983.18
In addition:
I found a listing of some
of sugar’s metabolic
consequences from a
variety of medical
journals and other
scientific publications.
There were over 78
ways sugar can ruin
your health.19
e mo S
• Suppressing the immune
system.
• Weakening eyesight.
•Causing hyperactivity,
concentration difficulties, and
crankiness in children.
•Leading to alcoholism
•Promoting tooth decay
•Contributing to weight gain and
obesity
What’s so Bad About Sugar?

Sugar is addictive.
First, sugar gets absorbed into the bloodstream all at once so you experience a
blood sugar elevation. In response to this your pancreas begin to increase
the production of insulin. Insulin is supposed to remove excess sugar from
the bloodstream.
In addition to the insulin being produced your pancreas you also produce
glucagon, which has the opposite effect of insulin. It is a “release”
hormone that is responsible for releasing body fat. Since your body is so
caught up in producing insulin, the glucagon production stops which
results in the crippling of fat release.
Your pancreas manufactures more insulin than you need so after you’ve had
you sugar rush you wind up with residual low blood sugar. In order to
normalize you sugar levels you begin to crave for… more sugar.20
In Conclusion:
Sugar from beginning to end has detrimental effects on the bodies of workers
and consumers.
It is one of the main factors in the development and maintenance of the slave
trade. It has been affecting communities of color from the moment it fell
into European hands.
Diabetes is one of this nations most common diseases and our addiction to
sugar is spreading at a global level with the introduction of processed
foods into global markets.
More than 17 million Americans have diabetes and each year 200,000 people
die of related complications. 21
This is severely effecting low-income communities of color where the access
to organic and non-processed foods is limited.
Statistics show that it is among populations of people of color that diabetes,
obesity, and other diseases linked to sugar are raging through the
populations. 22
 Sources
Cited:
1. www.sugarweb.co.uk/sugar/cane/growing.html Sugar Web - Growing Sugar Cane 4/28/03
2. www.sugaraddict.com/sugar_history.html Sugar Addict.com Sugar Addict – Sugar History
5/2/03
3. www.cyber.vt.edu/geog1014/topics/119mid_am/sugar.htm “The High Price of Sugar" by
Susan Miller 4/28/03
4. www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/economics/esc/esce/escr/sugar/fiji/pages/tradelib.htm Food and
Agricultural Organization of the United Nations “Impacts of Trade Liberalization on the World
Sugar Market 4/15/03
5. www.ies.ac.zw/santren/projects/cleanerproduction/triangle_limited.htm Sugar Mark Limited
“Cleaner Production Waste Opportunities” 4/15/03
6. http://haitiforever.com/windowsonhaiti/hdr-rmk2.shtml “The Plight of Haitian Workers in the
Dominican Sugar Industry" by Ryan McKenzie 4/15/03
7. Pollution Prevention and Abatement Handbook, World Bank Group, July 1998 “Sugar
Manufacturing”5/2/03
 Sources Cited (continued):
10 www.environnement.gouv.fr/ifrecor/domtom/gupressa.htm “Sugar Mills and Distilleries” 4/28/03
11 www.nohsc.gov.au/ohsinformaiton/databases/ohslitpgm/ohslit/h/001408.htm National Occupational Health &
Safety Commission Common Wealth of Australia “Health Effects of Bagasse in Queensland Sugar Mills” by
Biggins, D; Abrahams, H 4/28/03
12 www.carensa.net/start.htm Cane Resources Network for Southern Africa 4/28/03
13 www.coha.org/sugar.htm Council on Hemispheric Affairs “The Bitter Side of U.S. Sugar Protectionism” 4/7/03
14 www.sugarweb.co.uk/sugar/cane/producer.html Sugar Web-Sugar Producing Countries 4/28/03
15 www.sugarweb.co.uk/sugar/types/ Sugar Web-Types of Sugar 4/21/03
16 www.monitorsugar.com/htmtext/nonfood.htm Monitor Sugar Company: Non Food Uses for Sugar 4/28/03
17 http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=117&art_id=vn20030428123015786C770871&set_id=1 IOL: WHO
Obesity Report leaves Sugar Industry Sour
18 www.cspinet.org/new/sugar_limit.html Center for Science in the Public Health Interest “Sugar Intake at an All-time
High in 1999 4/28/03
19 www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm 78 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health
20 www.californiafitnesssystems.com/sugar.html The Facts of Health – Sugar
21 www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/aag/aag_ddt.htm At-A -Glance “Diabetes is a Growing Public Health Problem” 4/28/03
22 www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/estimates.htm National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion-
National Diabetes Fact Sheet