Scattered along the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Central California are a handful of rural communities whose survival depends largely upon a single crop: oranges. Highly vulnerable to freezing, a few days of low temperatures can devastate the crop, sending entire communities into an economic tailspin that can last for years. These photographs document the aftermath of a citrus freeze that struck the region in 1998. Nearly 12,000 farm workers were put out of work, and many families faced hunger and eviction. |