Improving Accessibility of Workplace Rights and Benefits for California Farmworkers, the Backbone of our Food Systems
Document Type
Book
Files
Publication Date
Fall 9-17-2024
Description
California is a cornerstone of the US food system, providing over a third of the country’s vegetables and nearly three-quarters of the country’s fruits and nuts. However, this large agricultural production is only possible due to the over 400,000 farmworkers employed in the State at any given time, accounting for an estimated one third to half of all agricultural workers in the US. Despite farmworkers’ importance in the California food system, challenges related to immigration status, language barriers, poor pay, occupational hazards, inadequate training, and discrimination culminate into barriers that make farmworker communities highly vulnerable to poor health outcomes. Few studies have examined the inaccessibility of care and workplace benefits among undocumented and pregnant farmworkers in California, nor the urgency, or lack thereof, to limit pesticide exposure. Additionally, research is limited on the barriers preventing farmworker access to legally entitled workplace benefits and accommodations after experiencing an injury or illness due to occupational pesticide exposure. Thus, our research intends to explore the following questions: What role do healthcare providers and patient advocates play in supporting farmworkers exposed to pesticides in accessing care and workplace benefits? How can accessibility be improved in workplace benefits, accommodations, and care? Our team conducted informational interviews to understand the barriers and inequities these laborers face, and used this information to develop medical education resources. This poster identifies practical recommendations for different system actors based on feedback from our contacted stakeholders and our own experiences navigating these rights and benefits systems.
City
Burlington, Vermont
Keywords
Farmworker health, pesticide exposure, workplace benefits, healthcare access, undocumented workers, labor rights
Recommended Citation
Jaiswal, Ruchika; Subramaniam, Carolyn; Bressler, Rachel; and Burns, Samantha, "Improving Accessibility of Workplace Rights and Benefits for California Farmworkers, the Backbone of our Food Systems" (2024). Food Systems Summit 2024. 22.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fss2024/22
