Farm Workers Enrich the Cultural History of Lake Apopka

Farm Workers Enrich the Cultural History of Lake Apopka. . The history of people and the environment intertwine at Lake Apopka., Lake Apopka has a long history as a farming community. Beginning in the 1940s, about 20,000 acres of wetlands along the north shore of Lake Apopka were drained and diked to create farmland in the lake's rich marsh soil. This "muck" soil, in addition to a long growing season, produced a variety of vegetables, making the area one of the top vegetable producing regions in the United States., A rich and diverse human and cultural history grew on the farms around Lake Apopka, alongside the abundant and verdant crops that fed the nation for decades. The area's farm workers took pride in their work, which helped support the war effort of the mid-1940s. For some, it meant they could settle in the area and no longer needed to migrate with the seasons in order to make a living. Workers who moved to central Florida for farming jobs created a diverse workforce in the region. The diversity of workers included people from the Philippines, the Bahamas, Mexico, Jamaica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Haiti, and even German prisoners of war during World War II., The farm work was arduous, requiring skill, dexterity and speed. Workers endured the Florida sun, heat, humidity, snakes and numerous biting insects. In the winter, they worked through the biting frost and cold. They spent hours stooped or crawling on hands and knees in the fields as they harvested rows of crops., Farming directly along Lake Apopka's north shore ended in the late 1990s when a massive restoration effort began. The St. Johns River Water Management District purchased farms along the lake to protect water resources and began returning the fields to wetlands. This work reduced the discharges of fertilizers and pesticides that had caused the water to turn pea green and which had impacted area wildlife., For information about restoration work at Lake Apopka, visit www.sjrwmd.com/lakeapopka., Photos courtesy of the Farmworker Association of Florida and Crealde School of Art, funded by the Florida Humanities Council.