Workers sort and pack the roses in the packaging hall of a flower farm in Cayambe, Ecuador.

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Workers sort and pack the roses in the packaging hall of a flower farm in Cayambe, Ecuador, 29 June 2010. South American countries (Colombia and Ecuador) are world leaders in cut flower industry. The advantage of the moderate sunny climate, very cheap labor force in combination with the absence of social laws and environmental regulations have created perfect conditions for the cut flower production. Flower growing is very fragile and necessarily depends on irrigation and chemical maintenance, provided by highly toxic pesticides. About workers in Ecuador, working mainly for living minimum wage, keep the floral industry going and saturate the market generated by consumerist culture the US, Canada and Europe.

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Size: 5265px × 3510px
Location: Cayambe, Ecuador
Photo credit: © Jan Sochor / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: agriculture, america, business, cayambe, cheap, colombia, commerce, cut, ecuador, environment, farm, flor, floral, floriculture, flower, greenhouse, grow, industry, labor, latin, latino, measure, pack, packaging, problem, production, roses, social, sort, south, work, worker