One of major challenges to farming in California today is the shortage of labor.

There are a variety of reasons for this reality, including the reality that unlike in the past agriculture is no longer the only entry level job opportunity for immigrants from Mexico and elsewhere.

Construction, trucking, foodservice and even retail today offer entry-level job opportunities for immigrants who don’t want to work as farm laborers or in related agribusiness jobs.

Additionally, few second and third generation immigrants want to work in farm labor today. Instead they’re attending colleges and universities or skilled trade schools and moving into professional careers. It’s called the American dream.

The farm labor shortage makes it increasingly important for farmers and other employers in agriculture to pay better attention to existing employees in order to retain them. It also requires a more formal focus on human resource management, including creating a workplace where farmworkers want to be. Farm operators and operations that treat employees well not only will avoid labor shortages, they’ll also draw the most productive workers.

With this new reality in mind, a new study by the UC Merced Community and Labor Center offers important information for farmers wanting to create a better workplace and improve labor conditions on the farm for both humane and productivity reasons. And based on the results of the study, a survey of 1,200 farmworkers in California, there’s plenty of progress to be made.

The UC Merced Farmworker Health Study released in February shows farmworkers across California are facing serious health challenges on a daily basis, according to the researchers, who set out to examine agricultural worker health and well-being, in addition to health care access, local and state policies, and health and training needs.

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More than 1,200 California farmworkers were surveyed between August 2021 and January 2022. They were asked about their working conditions, physical health, women’s and reproductive health, COVID-19, use of preventive health services, health insurance and access, and health behaviors.
These are the major findings of the study, according to the UC Merced researchers:

Health Care Insurance, Health Access and Utilization

• 49% of farmworkers reported being without health insurance.
• 43% reported having visited a doctor’s clinic in the past year, and 35% had been seen by the dentist.
• 16% reported having ever been screened for skin cancer, and 21% had ever been screened for colorectal cancer.

Health

• Over one-third of farmworkers reported that their health was “fair” (31%) or “poor” (5%).
• Between one-third and one-half of farmworkers reported having at least one chronic condition. Diabetes (20%), hypertension (19%) and anxiety (10%) were the most common.
• 40% of respondents suspected or confirmed being infected with COVID-19. Among those who had a positive test for coronavirus, 41% said their health was not back to normal.

Mental Health

• 19% of respondents reported feeling nervous or anxious, 15% reported feelings of uncontrollable worry, and 14% of workers reported feeling depressed or hopeless.

Women’s Reproductive Health

• Among farmworker women who had given birth, 14% reported having had a preterm birth, 15% reported having a baby with low birthweight, and 5% reported a pregnancy outcome with birth defects.

Social and Economic Rights

• 59% did not qualify for unemployment insurance benefits.
• 54% reported marginal, low, or very low food security.

Working Conditions

• 19% of respondents experienced, at one point or another, not being paid wages they earned by an employer.
• 43% reported that their employer “never” provided a heat-illness prevention plan as mandated under law.
• 32% said they had “always” lacked but needed respirators when working in agriculture.
• 36% of farmworkers said they would not be willing to file a report against their employer for workplace non-compliance. Of those who would be unwilling to file a report against an employer, 64% said they would be unwilling to file a report due to fear of retaliation or job loss.

According to the researchers, the findings from this study are a call to action for public engagement and policy development to improve farmworker health.

“Agriculture is a demanding job, requiring working long hours under difficult working conditions,” says UC Merced Health Economics Professor Paul Brown. “Our study provides a snapshot into the health of these workers, as well as highlights the challenges that workers in California face in getting access to good, high quality and affordable health care.”

“Agriculture is one of California’s most vital and productive industries, yet many of its workers experience profound challenges in maintaining their health and well-being,” says sociology Professor Edward Flores, faculty director of the U.C. Merced Community and Labor Center. “This report provides valuable data that should inform policy development advancing the health and well being of agricultural workers.”

The study suggests the need for a deeper look at current policies, laws and practices in agricultural workplaces, as well as greater and more targeted public investments in the physical, economic and social well-being of farmworkers.

The researchers suggest the following policy recommendations based on their findings:

• Expand farmworker access to the economic and social safety net.
• Expand farmworkers’ health care access.
• Continue to invest public resources in protecting workers’ rights.

Invest public resources in agricultural development that raises industry work standards, particularly as it relates to technological development.
Farmers and agribusiness companies can also learn from the study in terms of improving their operations and creating a better and more productive environment for workers.

The lack of health care for farmworkers is one of the most demonstrative themes in the study, for example. This needs to be addressed by both the agribusiness industry and state government because it’s not sustainable. Farmworkers need adequate healthcare in order to do the work they do and farmers need farmworkers to do the work that’s needed. As such, expanded health care access is essential in order to sustain agriculture in California. It’s also the right thing to do.

My Job Depends on Ag Magazine columnist and contributing editor Victor Martino is an agrifood industry consultant, entrepreneur and writer. One of his passions and current projects is working with farmers who want to develop their own branded food products. You can contact him at: victormartino415@gmail.com.