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National Farmworkers Awareness Week: Awareness for What?

  • mavseatwell
  • Apr 15, 2022
  • 3 min read

Updated: May 4, 2022


Hey Mavs! Have you ever heard the saying – “an apple a day keeps the doctors away”? You have? Okay, but have you ever stopped to think about where that apple came from? What about all the hard-working hands it took to plant, grow, and harvest that apple? Today, we are going to talk less about the apple and more about the hard workers that grow it as we celebrate National Farmworker Awareness Week (NFAW).

For starters, what is a farmworker and what do they do? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, farmworkers (AKA Agricultural workers) “maintain crops and tend livestock [and] perform physical labor and operate machinery under the supervision of farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers”.1 Essentially, the food we eat has been tended to by a farmworker from when it was planted to when it was harvested. And if any of you are like me and have tried growing your own veggies/herbs at home, you would know that it is not all that easy – especially at a commercial level. Check out this quick video to recap: https://youtu.be/1sWttraoHWs

So, what is National Farmworker Awareness Week? The Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs says it is a week of action held annually “to bring attention to farmworkers and honor them for the contributions they make to our daily lives”.2 In doing so, communities and individuals come together to raise awareness for conditions farmworkers face every day. While many policies, laws, regulations, and standards have been enacted to better the lives of farmworkers, there is still room for improvement.

This year, NFAW took place March 25-31. Take a look at what Idaho’s news anchor, Wake Up Idaho, had to say this year throughout NFAW. On day 4, they highlight that the College Assistant Migrant Program (CAMP) offered at Idaho State, Boise State University, and the University of Idaho “raises awareness to the needs and hardships farmworkers face [and] gives children of Idaho farmworkers tools to navigate college”. Check out Day 5 as well for more on the Long Sleeve Shirt Drive. In short, the National Long Sleeve Shirt Drive’s goal is to donate as many long sleeve shirts as possible to farmworkers and educate everyone about the “health and safety [risks farmworkers face] due to exposure to dangerous pesticides and heat stress”.2

According to testimonials, farmworkers are still required to work regardless of the rising temperatures we are experiencing with climate change. “From 1992-2017, excessive heat exposure killed 815 U.S. workers and seriously injured 70,000. Outdoor workers, like farmworkers, are the most vulnerable.” Additionally, farmworkers are not adequately prepared for storms and heat waves (physically, mentally, monetarily). Juana, a farmworker in the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry in North Carolina, experienced tremendous suffer and loss after Hurricane Florence wreaked its havoc in 2018. She stated that her and her family did not have the means to prepare for the storm, and there were no Spanish-translated warnings/notices they could understand to help them better prepare.

Hopefully you have stuck around to read this far. If so, I hope you learned something new and have been inspired to join in on the celebration of National Farmworker Awareness Week. I highly recommend you watch the “National Farmworker Awareness Week 2021 Celebration”3 on YouTube; it is packed with information, data, and farmworker testimonials! And check out the links at the end of this post to learn more about NFAW.


Love the Earth, Mavs!

Written By: Jose Perez

Reviewed By: Carly Richter, RDN, LD


Learn more!

1) Bureau of Labor Statistics Definition of Farmworker: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/farming-fishing-and-forestry/agricultural-workers.htm#tab-2

2) Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs + National Long Sleeve Shirt Drive: https://afop.org/nfaw/

3) National Farmworker Awareness Week 2021: "A Celebration of Farmworkers" - https://youtu.be/OaMaVug9c8o

 
 
 

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