Bienestar de agricultores y trabajadores agrícolas

California is home to the largest farmworker population of any state in the country. It is estimated that there are between 400,000 to 800,000 farmworkers in the state, many of whom are undocumented and living in poverty.

As essential frontline workers, farmworkers are at great risk of experiencing the health effects of greater weather extremes, including heat and wildfire smoke. Research found that respiratory-related hospitalizations attributed to wildfire smoke were 10 times higher than those attributed to non-smoke, bad-air days in Southern California.^[a] Farmworkers also face a greater risk of heat-related death, a 20- to 35- fold increase compared to other workers.^[b]

A climate-resilient agricultural economy in California will require a secure and resilient agricultural workforce. But much work is needed to achieve this. The following are some areas where CalCAN engages at the nexus of climate change and farmworker well-being.

Farmworker Housing Development and Weatherization

To make it possible for farmworkers and their families to thrive, affordable and energy-efficient housing that protects from heat events is essential. Recent state investments in the Joe Serna Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program and the farmworker component of the Low-Income Home Weatherization Program are great starts to this effort. But more is needed.

We recommend the state establish a target of 2,500 new farmworker housing units annually for five years, which would require an investment of roughly $200 million per year. This is a small fraction of the state’s overall efforts to address affordable in-fill and transit-oriented housing needs. We also recommend $25 million annually for the Farmworker Component of the Low-Income Home Weatherization Program to support ongoing energy efficiency and HVAC improvement of existing farmworker housing.

Farmworker Workforce Development

As climate change brings more challenges, there is a growing need for farmworker workforce development focused on managing farm operations in climate-resilient ways.

This effort cannot rely on a traditional model of community colleges that may constrain the participation of immigrants and non-native speakers with limited traditional education backgrounds. Nonprofits and community development corporations are well-suited to develop models that lead to training and career pathways for farmworkers to build climate-resilient farm management skills or to transition to farm ownership or into other agricultural careers such as technical assistance. The state’s High Roads Partnership effort can connect a diversity of partners to serve farmworkers.

Unemployment, Food, and Health Access

We believe that all California workers, regardless of immigration status, should have access to unemployment when illness or disaster strikes and they are unable to work. We also support medical benefits and access to the state’s food assistance program, CalFresh, for undocumented farmworkers.

Such investments in unemployment, medical care, and food assistance for farmworkers and their families can alleviate poverty, uplift families and their children, and avoid the long-term costs of communities impacted by extreme income disparities.

Immigration-Related Resources

To help support immigrant communities in agriculture, we have compiled trusted tools and information to help connect individuals with resources. Whether you’re an employer, employee, or community advocate, these resources are available to help you navigate this complex and evolving landscape. See the resource page [here[RB1] ].

^[a] Aguilera, R., et al. (2021). Wildfire smoke impacts respiratory health more than fine particles from other sources: Observational evidence from Southern California. Nature Communications, 12. ^[b] Jackson, L., & Rosenberg, H. (2010). Preventing heat-related illness among agricultural workers. Journal of Agromedicine, 15(3).