Brianna Vasquez’s Post on The New American Dustbowl: Documenting California’s Drought

The documentary photographer, Matt Black has a series of captivating photographs that documents the harsh conditions of modern-day farms and how it affects the lives of farmers. The images were extremely similar to the Farm Security Administration photographers, Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange photographs during the era of the Great Depression by illustrating the destruction the drought and winds caused to transform the Great Plains into the Dust Bowl. I am, unfortunately, one of the Americans unaware of the drought conditions that had affected the agricultural supply of fruits, vegetables, and nuts in Central Valley located in California. I think so many Americans were unaware of this crisis because the government wanted to keep it from the mainstream media. By drastically cutting the water irrigation supply to a main location of farms that provide a variety of agricultural supplies, it allowed the government to save money while on the contrary was still able to make money by hiking up the prices for these particular items.

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