Farmworkers are critical to our food system, yet due to historical and ongoing inequity steeped in racism, farmworkers have more limited rights and protections compared to workers in other industries. Many immigrants, frequently undocumented, work in agriculture where they work long hours, are exposed to dangerous weather events and chemicals, are paid low wages, and, often, are not provided overtime.
Furthermore, lack of access to culturally relevant and affordable health care in rural communities exacerbates the inequalities that farmworkers face – the burden is especially high for those seeking reproductive health care. Given the current attacks on both reproductive health care and immigrant rights by a hostile administration, it is imperative to provide protections for those who are essential to our nation’s food system and are at risk of unsafe working conditions, wage theft, deportation, limited access to healthcare (including prenatal and reproductive care), exploitation by employers, and increased maternal and infant health disparities in rural communities.
In our new report, “The intersection of reproductive justice and agricultural justice: Addressing Economic, Sociodemographic, and Health Care Challenges for Farmworkers from a State Policy Perspective”, we explore how state legislators can engage with rural organizing groups to protect farmworkers through a collaborative approach to policy creation and implementation that is grounded in community input, collaborative governance, and local solutions.
The intersection of reproductive, social, and economic justice for rural farmworkers (many of whom may be members of the immigrant community) is an essential issue for policymakers due to the implications on economic stability, public health, social equity, and food systems. Investing support in this intersectional issue not only provides essential protections for those who are the backbone of our agricultural system, but also ensures healthier and more prosperous communities as a whole.
A collaboration between the State Innovation Exchange Reproductive Freedom Leadership Council (RFLC), Agriculture and Food Systems’ Cohort for Rural Opportunity and Prosperity (CROP), and Economic Power Project (EPP), this report includes:
- background and analysis on the intersection of reproductive, agricultural, and economic justice for farmworkers,
- state policy recommendations and examples,
- key takeaways and resources for state legislators to use in their ongoing work.
For further information and resources on immigration and farmworkers check out our new Immigration and Farmworkers State Legislator Resource Toolkit here.