Searching for farm work in California

These three images that Dorthea Lange took are of families waiting for their next opportunities for work. In the migration West, farmers were often working for short periods of time then found without a job for long lengths of time. Because the overflow of people moving West, job opportunities were far and few between. Farmers would be hired for a short job, sometimes a couple of weeks, sometimes a few months, and then let go when the job was finished. These short jobs would bring a bit of money in, but not a sufficient amount for the entire family. In the first image, the family has eleven kids to feed and provide shelter for. These small and few jobs did not provide that kind of money. In the second image, a small family who has been finding short period jobs all along their journey to California, found themselves stranded on the side of the road because their car broke down. This was when they were almost to their final destination. 

These last images are heart wrenching. This is the point where the families have realized that the agony in their travels and the brutality of the road was not worth it. They are stuck searching for jobs that do not pay enough and have been drained of all they had before. 

Agriculture and farming still persists today in California. Farming is more accessible that in the 1930's, but the labor is not respected and they are not rewarded for the great deal of labor that they go through. They are insufficienly paid and the demand for California grown food has gone down.