Farmworker Advocacy Network

Working for a Harvest of Dignity

Resources

About Farmworkers

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Farmworkers play a vital role in cultivating the food we eat everyday, and North Carolina has one of the largest farmworker populations in the nation. Even though 85% of our fruits and vegetables are harvested by hand, farmworkers remain largely invisible.

Overview of Farm Work

Agricultural labor includes planting, cultivating, harvesting and preparing crops for market or storage.  Migrant farmworkers travel from place to place to work in agriculture and move into temporary housing while working; seasonal farmworkers work primarily in agriculture, but live in one community year-round.

Farmworkers are usually employed by farm owners or by “crew leaders,” who serve as intermediaries between growers and workers.  The H2A program allows foreign “guestworkers” to perform seasonal farm work under a temporary work visa designed for agricultural workers in the United States.

Demographics of North Carolina Farmworkers

North Carolina ranks 6th in the nation in the number of migrant farmworkers.  There are approximately 150,000 farmworkers and their dependents in North Carolina each growing season, but this estimate is considered low. In the United States there are 2-3 million farmworkers.  Even though the overall number of farmworkers in North Carolina has decreased over the last 20 years, the number of migrant farmworkers has nearly doubled.

94 percent of migrant farmworkers in North Carolina are native Spanish speakers. Nationally, most farmworkers are unaccompanied males whose families still live in their home countries.

The US Department of Labor reports that 53% of farmworkers nationally are undocumented (working without legal authorization), 25% are US citizens, and 21% are legal permanent residents.

Farmworkers’ Impact on North Carolina

Agriculture, including food, fiber and forestry, contributes over $10 billion annually to North Carolina’s economy and represents 22% of North Carolina’s income.  Each farmworker’s labor contributes over $12,000 in profits to North Carolina’s economy annually.

Major North Carolina crops requiring hand labor include: tobacco, Christmas trees, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, apples, bell peppers, and other fruits and vegetables.  Many farmworkers also work in greenhouses and nurseries.

Economic Profile

Poverty: Nationally, farmworkers’ average annual income is $11,000; for a family it is approximately $16,000. Farmworkers on the East Coast earn about 35% less than the national average.

Hard work, low pay: At 40¢ per bucket (5/8 bushel), a farmworker must pick and haul two tons of sweet potatoes to earn $50.

Few wage protections: Most farmworkers are exempt from minimum wage laws, and all are exempt from overtime provisions, despite long work days during peak harvest.

Few benefits: Despite pervasive poverty, less than 1 percent of farmworkers collect general assistance welfare nationwide. Only 10 percent of farmworkers report having health insurance through an employer health plan. Fewer than 4 out of 10 workers interviewed said that they would receive unemployment benefits if out of work.

Hunger: Nearly 5 out of 10 North Carolina farmworkers cannot afford enough food for themselves and their families.

Farmworkers & Health

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Farm labor ranks as one of the top 3 most dangerous occupations in the United States. In addition to hazards in the fields, farmworkers and their families face unique burdens on their physical and mental health. North Carolina’s leading industry is agriculture, yet farmworkers are among the most underserved residents in the state.

Occupational Risks

Injuries on the Job: Injuries in farm work commonly result from repetitive movements and stooping with few breaks, operating dangerous equipment and carrying heavy loads. Farmworkers suffer from high levels of heat stress, musculoskeletal pain and respiratory illness. At least one in four farmworkers report having been injured on the job in their lifetime, and the fatality rate for farmworkers in NC is higher than the national average.

Chemical and Nicotine Exposure: Farmworkers endure the highest rate of toxic chemical injuries and skin disorders of any workers in the country.  Nausea, vomiting, cramping and itchy/burning eyes are known short-term effects of acute pesticide poisoning while long-term health effects of pesticide exposure include cancer, neurological disorders, miscarriage, memory loss, and depression.  Skin conditions such as dermatitis are not only linked to pesticide exposure but to the handling of other chemical agents and plants.

Nationwide, nearly half of farmworkers report having skin rashes.  Green tobacco sickness, or nicotine poisoning through the skin, is experienced at least once in a growing season by 24% of tobacco workers.  In just one day, workers can absorb the amount of nicotine found in 36 cigarettes.

Extreme Conditions: Farmworkers often labor in adverse weather conditions, including extreme temperatures, rain, and the hot sun.  Nationwide, environmental heat is responsible for claiming the lives of 423 workers between 1992-2006; in NC, heat stroke killed seven farmworkers within a five year period.

Poor Field Sanitation: Employers who have 10 or fewer workers are not required by law to provide access to toilets and clean water during the long work day, and some employers ignore existing field sanitation regulations.  Workers have resorted to hand-washing and drinking water from irrigation ditches and ponds containing run-off from pesticide-ridden fields when there is no other water source.

Substandard Housing: A lack of clean facilities for food preparation, bathing after work, and washing laundry, plus a susceptibility to pesticide drift from nearby fields, exposes farmworker families to the “take-home” affect of pesticides.  Researchers found increased levels of pesticides in NC farmworker children compared with the general population.  Lack of clean water is the likely cause of very high rates of parasites and gastrointestinal infections among farmworker families.  Overcrowded housing is common and increases the risk of infectious diseases and other health problems.

General Health Issues

Chronic Illness: Farmworkers suffer from higher blood pressure compared with the general public, especially for men and women aged 20-44.  This puts them at increased risk for heart disease and diabetes. 

Food Insecurity: Nearly 5 out of 10 farmworker households in NC cannot afford enough food for their families.

Women’s Health: Nationwide, less than half of pregnant women in farmworker families interviewed in 2000 had received health care during their first trimester.

Childrens’ Health: 53% of children in migrant farmworker families in Eastern North Carolina have an unmet medical need, and the need is proportionally higher for preschool aged children.

Infectious Diseases: Nationally, farmworkers face 6 times the risk of other groups of contracting tuberculosis.  The high incidences of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases in farmworkers are attributed by some to isolation, poverty, and limited knowledge about how a disease is transmitted.

Oral Health: Dental problems present a serious unmet health need for farmworkers and their children. Nearly one-third of NC farmworkers in a study sample have missing and/or fractured teeth, but only 1 in 5 had seen a dentist within the past year.

Mental health: Nationally, 40% of farmworkers are depressed and 30% experience anxiety. Causes of strain on mental health include isolation, limited social support, separation from family members, job and financial stress, poor housing and unhealthy working environments.

Barriers to Care

Of the more than 150,000 farmworkers in the state, less than 20% receive health care.  The health needs of the state’s farmworker families persist due in part to several barriers, most of which are non-financial.  20% of farmworkers in Eastern NC lack information about where to go for health care.

Frequent mobility: About one-third of farmworkers change residence over the summer, moving within and out of the state for employment.  Mobility is a barrier to receiving long-term care and time-sensitive health services such as prenatal care for women and treatment for chronic illness.

Transportation: In Eastern NC, 80% of farmworker families with children lack transportation.  Many do not have a driver’s license or car insurance and are often dependent on their employer to drive them to medical facilities.

Language: The majority of NC farmworkers are Spanish-speaking (94%), and the primary language for at least 10-15% of workers in NC is an indigenous language.  Few health delivery sites in NC have adequate Spanish language resources, let alone the capacity for other languages.

Insurance: 85% of farmworkers in the U.S. have no health insurance, and 9 out of 10 children in farmworker families are uninsured.  The majority of these workers do not qualify for social services because of immigration status, even though many live significantly below the federal poverty line.

Workers’ compensation: The majority of NC farmworkers are not covered by workers’ compensation. Only agricultural employers that hire H2-A workers or more than ten employees are required to provide the coverage.

Fear: Anti-immigrant sentiment may prevent workers from getting treatment for illness or injury, necessary follow-up attention, or routine health care.

Culture: Cultural beliefs and perceptions of the U.S. health care system might cause a delay in farmworkers seeking medical care and some discrepancies in types of treatment.

Child Labor Facts

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North Carolina child labor law permits children as young as 12 years old and in some cases as young as 10 to labor in the fields, while in every other industry the minimum age is 14 or above. Agriculture is one of the three most dangerous industries in the nation, and yet every year across the country close to 500,000 farmworker children and youth risk their childhood, health, and well-being in order to bring food to our tables. Children in North Carolina are no exception.

Field investigations in North Carolina have uncovered children as young as six working in the fields. Most Americans still envision farms as safe, nurturing places. Unfortunately, the safe, happy and healthy farm life that many of us imagine is just a myth for farmworker children in North Carolina.

Quick Facts

Children account for roughly 1 out of every 5 work-related deaths on farms, and face higher injury and illness rates than adult workers.

  • At least 9 children have died working on farms in NC in the past decade, and many more have been injured. Children who work in fields treated with pesticides are at greater risk of developing neurological and reproductive health problems, as well as cancer.

Children are more vulnerable than adults to repetitive stress injury.

  • Farmworker children are often bent over in the fields 8 to 12 hours a day, increasing their risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders. Since children are still developing physically, their exertion often places a greater stress on their bodies, with serious long-term consequences.

Farmworker children live in poverty.

  • Farmworker children have limited access to health care, live in substandard housing and face food insecurity; all of which limit their ability to cope with the hazards they face and injuries they may suffer working in the fields. 

Laboring in the fields negatively affects farmworker children’s school performance.

  • The fatigue, injury and illness that come with working in the fields negatively affect development and school performance. Instead of participating in sports and other enrichment activities, child farmworkers face high dropout rates and an uncertain future. 

Health and Access to Care

Many pesticides have a more significant effect on children than adults, because their bodies are still growing and developing. Children’s exposure to pesticides in the field has been associated with an increased risk of developing cancer, nervous system disorders and infertility or sterility during their lifetimes.

The physical wear and tear from heavy lifting and bending several hundred times a day in the field affects the growth of a child’s developing body, often causing muscle and joint problems that endure for the rest of the child’s life.

Despite farmworker children’s increased risk of injury on the job, they often lack transportation to and information about health care facilities.

The Solution

While the tradition of working on the family farm can be easily preserved through a specific exemption, our child labor laws should be updated so that children working in agriculture are subject to the same laws and protections as all other industries in our state.

Recommendations 

  • End discriminatory child labor law by making the laws protecting young agricultural workers the same as in all other industries.
  • Increase the minimum age at which a youth can perform hazardous work from 16 to 18 years old.

Child labor laws were written in the early 20th century, and reflect a time when farming was very different. These laws must be updated to reflect the realities and dangers of the current agricultural industry.

Growing up working on the family farm is an important tradition that should be preserved, but employing young children in hazardous work should not be a tradition any longer.

Child labor laws should be the same for every industry.  Let’s work together to protect North Carolina children from preventable injuries and death and ensure them a safe, healthy and bright future.

Sources

  • Adekoya, N. and Pratt, S.D. 2001. “Fatal Unintentional Farm Injuries among Persons Less than 20 Years of Age in the United States: Geographic Profiles.” US Centers for Disease Control, National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health.
  • National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 2010. Agricultural Safety. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aginjury/.
  • NIOSH bases this statement on the fatality rate of workers between 1992 and 2000. NIOSH, “NIOSH Alert: Preventing
  • Deaths, Injuries and Illnesses of Young Workers,” no. 2003-128, July 2003, p. 4.
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, “Fatal occupational injuries, total hours worked, and rates of fatal
  • occupational injuries by selected worker characteristics, occupations, and industries, civilian workers, 2008.”
  • http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfoi_rates_2008hb.pdf  The fatality rate for all civilian workers in 2008 was 3.7; for “crop production” it was 32.5.
  • Perry, M.J. 2003. “Children’s Agricultural Health: Traumatic Injuries and Hazardous Inorganic Exposures.” MHS.
  • Pryor et al. 2005. “Occupational Risky Business: Injury prevention behaviors of farm women and children.” Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing 28: 1.
  • [Pediatric Fall Injuries in Agricultural Settings (2007) Pickett, Dostaler et al.],
  • Lewandowski, B. and Szymanska, J. 2008. Agriculture-related severe craniofacial injuries in rural children and adolescents. Ann Agric Environ Med 2008, 15, 59–62.
  • “Children’s Agricultural Health: Traumatic Injuries and Hazardous Inorganic Exposures” Melissa J. Perry, ScD, MHS 2003
  • Hipke 1993. “Green tobacco sickness.” Southern Medical Journal 86: 989-92.
  • McKnight and Spiller. 2005. “Green tobacco sickness and children and adolescents.” Public Health Reports, 120:602-605.
  • [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration, A Guide to Heat Stress in Agriculture (Washington: EPA, 1994), p.1.]  
  • Whalley, Lara E., Grzywacz, Joseph G., Quandt, Sara A., Vallejos, Quirina M., Walkup, Michael, Chen, Haiying, Galván, Leonardo and Arcury, Thomas A.(2009)’Migrant Farmworker Field and Camp Safety and Sanitation in Eastern North Carolina’,Journal of Agromedicine,14:4,421 — 436
  • Weathers, A.. et al, 2004;
  • [“Life on the Farm- Children at Risk” – Little, Vermillon, Dikis, Little, Custer and Cooney 2003
  • [Child Labor – Still with us.(1997) Landrigan and McCammon.]
  • National Agricultural Workers Survey, US Dept. of Labor, 2005
  • Ward, L. East Coast Analysis of NAWS, 1998
  • Household food security among migrant and seasonal Latino farmworkers in North Carolina. Quandt SA, Arcury TA, Early J, Tapia J, Davis JD. Public Health Rep. 2004 Nov-Dec; 119 (6):568-76.