Tomatoland

Barry Estabrook

has been following the story of the tomato harvest workers in Immokalee, Florida for years. His 2009

article in Gourmet magazine about the horrific conditions on Florida tomato farms won him a James Beard Award, and his more recent book,

Tomatoland

: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit

, offers a more in depth look at the state of tomato farming in Florida.

Coalition of Imokalee Workers (CIW) has succeeded in convincing major fast food chains like McDonald's and Burger King, as well as Trader Joe's, to sign their Fair Food Agreement, which promises a penny more per pound of tomatoes picked. It doesn't sound like much, but it adds $20 per day to each tomato pickers pay check. Follow all of Estabrook's reportage on the CIW at his blog,

Politics of the Plate.