Feeding You & Me: Honoring Farmworkers During National Farmworker Awareness Week

March 28, 2022

The sun beats down relentlessly as a field of crops stretches as far as the eye can see. Sweat trickles down your brow as you keep moving quickly, picking and harvesting. Your basket fills to the brim, and you hustle to turn it in. With a new, empty basket in hand, you make it back to where you left off and begin the process again. Muscles aching from repeatedly bending and straightening your body, you toil away until sundown.

This is the life of many farmworkers in the United States.

Growing up in South Florida, about 15 minutes from a major agricultural area with a large farmworker community, I saw how hard my friends and neighbors worked. They arrived at the fields before sunrise — wearing long-sleeves, hats, and gloves — and prepared for long hours of harvesting the fruit or vegetable of the day. Seeing this reality firsthand gave me an appreciation and respect for farmworkers that continues to guide my work today in protecting workers that are exposed to pesticides.

There are an estimated 2.5 million people who work in the fields daily to ensure that fruits and vegetables reach our dinner tables. This grueling work often goes unseen and uncelebrated. Because many of us live far away from farms, we are disconnected with where our food comes from. That’s why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency celebrates National Farmworker Awareness Week March 25-31 to honor farmworkers and shine a spotlight on their critical contributions to our country.

This is also an important week to raise awareness about the issues farmworkers face in their daily work. Not only is it physically demanding work, but farmworkers may be exposed to pesticides when they pick crops. Farmworkers deserve the same health protections afforded to workers in other industries. That’s why EPA makes protecting their health and safety a priority.

We Help Protect Farmworkers

We Listen to Farmworkers

EPA routinely conducts listening sessions with farmworkers, farmworker advocacy groups and organizations to determine the efficacy of EPA programs and initiatives. These meetings are an opportunity for farmworkers to express their thoughts to EPA on any barriers that affect them directly.

The agency also holds quarterly lunch-and-learn events where staff can take an hour to listen to farmworker stories and challenges. Most recently, EPA held sessions that covered topics like best practices for keeping safe and healthy in the field, protecting against extreme weather while working, and preventing take-home exposure to family and friends.

The Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee is another valuable pathway where various stakeholders, including farmworkers, discuss critical topics and raise concerns. The PPDC Farmworker and Clinician Workgroup met throughout the year in 2021 to provide recommendations to EPA and set goals to advance farmworker wellness.

Farmworkers, and anyone in the general public, can reach out to the National Pesticide Information Center via the dedicated pesticides hotline (800-858-7378) with questions on any pesticide related topic. Pesticide specialists are available to answer calls from the public in over 240 languages. Funded by EPA, NPIC is a nationwide resource available 24-hours a day.

We Educate Farmworkers

Multi-lingual educational tools like radio spots, newsletter ads, posters, and more raise awareness and promote environmental justice for low-income, low-literacy, and predominantly non-English speaking farmworkers. Programs funded through EPA cooperative agreements, like the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative, create and distribute pesticide-related educational resources.

EPA also works with several programs that support the field implementation of the WPS regulation. Our worker safety program coordinates with grantees to train farmworkers on pesticide safety and develop materials in appropriate languages to inform workers of pesticide risks. The National Farmworker Training Program, led by the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, provides culturally appropriate training and resources for farmworkers and their families in rural agricultural areas. Topics include understanding farmworker rights under the WPS, reducing take-home pesticide exposure, and recognizing signs and symptoms of pesticide poisoning, among others.

During this National Farmworker Awareness Week, take a moment to think of where our meals come from and the hands involved in making sure it reaches our tables. Farmworkers are vital to our livelihoods, and we should all be invested in their health and safety. We invite you to join in honoring farmworkers and their critical contributions.

To learn more about EPA’s efforts to protect farmworkers and their families, visit EPA’s Occupational Pesticide Safety and Health homepage.

About the Author

Rhina Lara
Public Affairs Specialist
Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention

Rhina Lara is a Public Affairs Specialist within EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. She works closely with the Certification and Worker Protection Branch within the Office of Pesticide Programs to communicate to the public any actions regarding occupational pesticide safety and health. Before joining EPA, she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador. In her spare time, she enjoys reading new books, dancing, taking long walks and exploring coffee shops in D.C.