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1.
J Labor Res ; : 1-12, 2023 Jun 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-20241183

ABSTRACT

Early research hypothesized impacts of COVID-19 on agricultural workers, food supply, and rural health systems based on population characteristics from data collected preceding the pandemic. Trends confirmed a vulnerable workforce and limits to field sanitation, housing quality, and healthcare. Less is known about eventual, realized impacts. This article uses the Current Population Survey's COVID-19 monthly core variables from May 2020 through September 2022 to document actual impacts. Summary statistics and statistical models for the probability of being unable to work reveal that 6 to 8% of agricultural workers were unable to work early in the pandemic and that impacts were disproportionately negative for Hispanics and those with children. An implication is that targeted policies based on vulnerabilities may minimize disparate impacts of a public health shock. Understanding the full impacts of COVID-19 on essential labor remains important for economics, public policy, and food systems in addition to public health.

2.
Journal of Agrarian Change ; : 1, 2023.
Article in English | Academic Search Complete | ID: covidwho-2320150

ABSTRACT

Migrant farmworkers are a ubiquitous but invisibilised, expropriated and exploited component of the global agricultural economy. Their conditions took centre‐stage during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Fear of production disruption in the migrant labour‐intensive sectors led to foreign workers being deemed ‘essential' in many countries, and exceptional procedures and regulations were instituted that further increased their exploitation, illnesses and deaths. However, the pandemic has not merely exposed the long‐established structures of racialised exploitation and expropriation in the domain of farm work. Although it exacerbated the precariousness of the living and working conditions defining the reality of migrant farm workers, there is evidence that the pandemic also strengthened farmworkers' individual and collective consciousness, along with forms of organisation and resistance. The symposium ‘Migrant Farmworkers: Resisting and Organizing before, during and after COVID‐19' explores two dimensions reflected in migrant farmworkers' realities during the pandemic. First, the contributions look at the general conditions defining power structures and material outcomes within the political economy of agriculture before and during the pandemic. Second, they explore the conditions under which resistance and solidarity emerged to question established structures of exploitation. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Agrarian Change is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

3.
Estudios Geograficos ; 83(293), 2022.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2276030

ABSTRACT

The aim of this paper is to carry out a sociological analysis of the implications of what could be referred to as the paradox of farm labourers during the pandemic. That is, their designation as essential workers turned them simultaneously into high-risk workers and a source of public alarm. Based on the analysis of the logics of purity and danger of Mary Douglas (1991), this article analyses how some of the public health strategies developed by the institutions during the pandemic contributed to reinforcing the invisibility and vulnerability of migrant workers. The article shows how, being placed in the realm of the impure and dangerous, foreign agricultural workers were not able to receive the health care they required, and their living spaces thus became environments conducive to the spread of the virus. Through an exploration of secondary sources, a review of pertinent documents and in-depth interviews with key informants, this article firstly offers a description of the institutional process by which foreign agricultural workers in the Region of Murcia were converted into essential workers facilitated the spread of infections. Secondly, it explores the link between the precariousness of the working and living conditions of farm labourers and the absence of the ethics of self-care, which was at the heart of the chain of Covid-19 infections suffered by this population. Finally, it focuses on institutional responses to the threat posed by the threat posed by increased infections among immigrant farm workers. Copyright ©2022 CSIC.

4.
Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering ; 84(4-B):No Pagination Specified, 2023.
Article in English | APA PsycInfo | ID: covidwho-2252009

ABSTRACT

Statement of the problem: Hispanic/Latino farmworkers are at increased risk of adverse health and safety outcomes. Heightened levels of acculturative stress and the unique cultural characteristics and beliefs reported by this group increase workers' vulnerability for adverse outcomes. Method: The first project consisted of a systematic review examining threats to the health and safety of Hispanic/Latino agricultural workers attributable to climate change, focusing specifically on their risk for heat-related illnesses (HRI) and cultural factors and beliefs increasing workers' vulnerability for HRI. The second project was a secondary data analysis focused on identifying potential relationships between acculturative stressors, cultural factors, and workers' recent utilization of healthcare services in the United States. The final project was an exploratory study identifying COVID-19 associated stress experienced by a largely foreign-born group of Hispanic/Latino farmworkers in North Carolina. Like the preceding projects, this study focused on acculturative stressors and cultural beliefs potentially impacting workers' experiences with COVID-19. Results: The first project determined that Hispanic/Latino farmworkers were indeed at increased risk for HRI. Workers occupational safety behaviors were informed by common cultural beliefs and misconceptions, increasing workers' risk for HRI. The second project found that there were statistically significant associations between the outcome, workers' recent utilization of healthcare services in the United States, and the predictors foreign-born status, migrant worker status, work authorization (legal work authorization versus undocumented status), reading English language proficiency, and gender. The third project found that Hispanic/Latino farmworkers surveyed struggled with some level of COVID-19 stress with roughly half of participants reporting concerns about their ability to provide for and see family members as a result of COVID-19.Conclusion: This dissertation identified a number of cultural factors and acculturative stressors impacting Hispanic/Latino farmworkers' health. Overall, the findings of this dissertation support the need for further research on the relationships between acculturative stressors, cultural factors, and health behaviors among Hispanic/Latino farmworkers. These relationships should be important considerations in research concerning Hispanic/Latino farmworkers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

5.
Estudios Geograficos ; 83(293), 2022.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2284362

ABSTRACT

This article addresses the situation of migrant workers in La Ribera del Xuquer, a Valencian citrus-growing region, from the confinement of March 2020 to April 2021. Two periods of fieldwork were carried out, the second during the pandemic, with observation, informal contacts and interviews with 55 key informants of varying profiles. Although the risk situations during the harvest are common to all workers, Spaniards and immigrants, these affect with less or greater intensity according to the position occupied in the ethno-fragmented work structure, country of origin and, more broadly, social and living conditions. The pandemic situation and the measures taken have reinforced the pre-existing ethnic segmentation of the labour market. On the one hand, workers with "permanent-discontinuous"contracts, Spaniards and immigrants rooted in the area;on the other, temporary workers and those provided by temporary agencies, almost all of them immigrants, who accumulate risk, job insecurity and social insecurity. Copyright © 2022 CSIC.

6.
Journal of Rural Mental Health ; 47(1):1-9, 2023.
Article in English | APA PsycInfo | ID: covidwho-2280105

ABSTRACT

While stress levels, emotional concerns, and mental health issues among U.S. farmers are well documented, limited research exists on the specific impacts of COVID-19 on farmer mental health. To begin to explore this question, our study sought to identify characteristics of farmers at elevated risk for COVID-19-related emotional concerns. We engaged in secondary analysis of 2020 survey data from farmers in a southern state (N = 613), hypothesizing that farmers with high COVID-19-related concern about farm operations/finances, health, and uncertainty in how to navigate pandemic-related challenges would report high levels of concern and thus distress about the emotional impact of COVID-19. We conducted logistic regression analyses;the best-fitting model (p < .001) accounted for 30.4% of the variance. Being married, reporting pandemic impact to field crops, anticipating COVID-related losses in the coming year, and high concern about COVID-19's effects on finances were significant predictors of concern about COVID-19's emotional impact. Concerns about getting COVID-19 and being uncertain about mental health resources were also significant predictors. Our results indicate that within the farmer population, there are individuals at higher risk of COVID-19-related emotional distress and suggest it may be important to prioritize mental health outreach to farmers at high financial risk, who are married, farm row crops, anticipate COVID-19-related financial losses, and are uncertain about accessing mental health resources. These findings can inform proactive work among rural mental health professionals, helping them engage in strategic and nuanced outreach and resource provision to farmers experiencing emotional distress and concern about the emotional impact of COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Public Health Significance Statement-This study suggests that specific subgroups of farmers are at higher risk for distress and concern about the emotional impact of COVID-19. Those who were married, had pandemic impact to field crops, anticipated and were concerned about COVID-19 related financial risks and losses, were concerned about contracting COVID-19, and were uncertain how to access mental health resources were at higher risk. Given the scarcity of mental health resources in rural areas, this risk profile can help target resources to those at highest risk. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

7.
J Immigr Minor Health ; 24(1): 58-64, 2022 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2254835

ABSTRACT

Agricultural workers, designated as "essential" at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, work in harsh labor conditions, and now have the added challenge of continuing to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess agricultural workers' COVID-19 related history, employer-based safety measures, individual preventive practices, and COVID-19 vaccination uptake. A questionnaire study was conducted among agricultural workers in Central Florida about COVID-19 during the month of June 2020 and again in July 2021. Among 92 agricultural workers in June 2020, 47% were obese; 11% had had a COVID-19 nasal test; 87% were able to social distance at work and 34% reported employer provided face masks; 15% reported not willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine and 25% were unsure. 40% could self-isolate if they contracted COVID-19. In a follow-up visit in July 2021, 53% of participants reported receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Agricultural workers are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 due to existing health risk factors and lack of essential protective resources. Occupational health protections social safety net programs are urgently needed to prevent infections in vulnerable workers, and reduce community spread, and increase COVID-19 vaccination rates.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , COVID-19 Vaccines , Farmers , Health Personnel , Humans , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2
8.
BMC Public Health ; 23(1): 102, 2023 01 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2196203

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Seasonal agricultural workers working and living in inappropriate sanitary conditions are at great risk for public health. This study aimed to determine the relationships between the sociodemographic variables and life satisfaction of seasonal agricultural workers, and their knowledge, risk perception, and protective behaviors about the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study, that included agricultural workers who are 18 years of age or older and worked seasonally in Yozgat, Turkey, during the period between August 2020 and October 2020. The well-being level was measured using the Personal Wellbeing Index-Adult form (PWIA). The data were collected using the face-to-face survey method and with 739 workers who voluntarily participated in the research. RESULTS: All participants disclosed having insufficient information about Covid-19 and indicated their peers and television as their sources of information. The vast majority of the workers stated that they complied with the mask mandates, social distancing, and hand hygiene. No correlations were found between knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about Covid-19 and the level of wellbeing. The mean PWIA score of the workers was low (53.7) while they were mostly satisfied with their personal relationships (96.6) and health (76.1). The multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that being male (ß = 0.245) and not having an ongoing health issue (ß = 0.689) were associated with more PWIA; on the other hand, having more children (ß = -0.52) was related to less PWIA. CONCLUSIONS: The well-being level of seasonal workers was lower while it was not associated with knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about Covid-19.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Adult , Child , Humans , Male , Adolescent , Female , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , SARS-CoV-2 , Pandemics/prevention & control , Farmers , Cross-Sectional Studies , Turkey/epidemiology , Seasons , Surveys and Questionnaires , Personal Satisfaction
9.
Journal of Rural Mental Health ; 47(1):1-9, 2023.
Article in English | APA PsycInfo | ID: covidwho-2185623

ABSTRACT

While stress levels, emotional concerns, and mental health issues among U.S. farmers are well documented, limited research exists on the specific impacts of COVID-19 on farmer mental health. To begin to explore this question, our study sought to identify characteristics of farmers at elevated risk for COVID-19-related emotional concerns. We engaged in secondary analysis of 2020 survey data from farmers in a southern state (N = 613), hypothesizing that farmers with high COVID-19-related concern about farm operations/finances, health, and uncertainty in how to navigate pandemic-related challenges would report high levels of concern and thus distress about the emotional impact of COVID-19. We conducted logistic regression analyses;the best-fitting model (p < .001) accounted for 30.4% of the variance. Being married, reporting pandemic impact to field crops, anticipating COVID-related losses in the coming year, and high concern about COVID-19's effects on finances were significant predictors of concern about COVID-19's emotional impact. Concerns about getting COVID-19 and being uncertain about mental health resources were also significant predictors. Our results indicate that within the farmer population, there are individuals at higher risk of COVID-19-related emotional distress and suggest it may be important to prioritize mental health outreach to farmers at high financial risk, who are married, farm row crops, anticipate COVID-19-related financial losses, and are uncertain about accessing mental health resources. These findings can inform proactive work among rural mental health professionals, helping them engage in strategic and nuanced outreach and resource provision to farmers experiencing emotional distress and concern about the emotional impact of COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Public Health Significance Statement-This study suggests that specific subgroups of farmers are at higher risk for distress and concern about the emotional impact of COVID-19. Those who were married, had pandemic impact to field crops, anticipated and were concerned about COVID-19 related financial risks and losses, were concerned about contracting COVID-19, and were uncertain how to access mental health resources were at higher risk. Given the scarcity of mental health resources in rural areas, this risk profile can help target resources to those at highest risk. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

10.
Emerg Infect Dis ; 28(13): S277-S287, 2022 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2162888

ABSTRACT

We evaluated clinical and socioeconomic burdens of respiratory disease in banana farm workers in Guatemala. We offered all eligible workers enrollment during June 15-December 30, 2020, and annually, then tracked them for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) through self-reporting to study nurses, sentinel surveillance at health posts, and absenteeism. Workers who had ILI submitted nasopharyngeal swab specimens for testing for influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and SARS-CoV-2, then completed surveys at days 0, 7, and 28. Through October 10, 2021, a total of 1,833 workers reported 169 ILIs (12.0 cases/100 person-years), and 43 (25.4%) were laboratory-confirmed infections with SARS-CoV-2 (3.1 cases/100 person-years). Workers who had SARS-CoV-2‒positive ILIs reported more frequent anosmia, dysgeusia, difficulty concentrating, and irritability and worse clinical and well-being severity scores than workers who had test result‒negative ILIs. Workers who had positive results also had greater absenteeism and lost income. These results support prioritization of farm workers in Guatemala for COVID-19 vaccination.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Influenza, Human , Virus Diseases , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2 , Influenza, Human/epidemiology , COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 Testing , Virus Diseases/epidemiology
11.
J Rural Stud ; 95: 533-543, 2022 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2105479

ABSTRACT

California agricultural workers are predominately Latino/a, are medically underserved, and reside in larger households, placing them at elevated COVID-19 risk at work and at home. While some research has examined COVID-19 among agricultural workers in the interior of the United States, little research exists on experiences of COVID-19 along the US-Mexico border. Grounded in resilience thinking, this study aims to understand how agricultural workers navigated their heightened risk to COVID-19 at work and at home, and made use of available resources in the context of a bi-national community. Our study utilized qualitative interviews with 12 agricultural workers to understanding the COVID-19 experiences of resident and daily migrant agricultural workers in Imperial County, California, located along the US-Mexico border. Findings suggest that agricultural workers faced significant impacts and risks at work (work stoppages, stress about bringing COVID-19 home to family) and at home (contracting COVID-19, loss of friends and family, and mental health challenges). Agricultural workers and their employers often implemented COVID-19 precautions such as social distancing measures, personal protective equipment, hand washing and hand sanitizers, and isolation. Many agricultural workers did access testing resources on either side of the US-Mexico border and worked with US-based Spanish-speaking community-based organizations to register for vaccine appointments. To better support agricultural workers and their employers in the future, we recommend the following: 1. Prioritize agricultural workplace conditions to increase agricultural worker physical and mental health, 2. Extend public health services into agricultural work sites of transit and the workplace, and 3. Lastly, trusted Spanish-speaking community-based organizations can play a critical role in public health outreach.

12.
New Microbes New Infect ; 48: 101026, 2022 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2008004

ABSTRACT

Background: The population of South America has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this region, during the year 2020, high seroprevalence percentages were reported, which have been associated with the socioeconomic characteristics of the population, mainly in urban areas. However, a relative lack of information on the dynamics of the pandemic in rural areas of these countries, where the population is more vulnerable, is still present. This study determined antibody prevalence against SARS-CoV-2 in urban and rural food producing workers in Colombia. Methods: A total of 1242 workers, urban and rural, linked to poultry, dairy, and meat production and supply chains, were analyzed through a sociodemographic survey and two serological tests against S and N proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Results: 78.7% were male. 50.9% of the participants were rural inhabitants, with an average age of 40.9 years old. 39.2% had IgM and IgG against SARS-CoV-2 S protein and 31.3% against N protein for the same virus; 83.6% had not been tested with an RT-PCR test for COVID-19 and 75.7% did not report symptoms related to the disease. The associated risk factors were low education, OR: 1.46, greater number of cohabitants, OR: 1.36, and contact with people infected with COVID-19, OR: 2.03. Conclusions: The seroprevalences found suggest an important interconnectivity between rural and urban areas, where asymptomatic subjects and sociodemographic factors facilitate the virus' spread in the population.

13.
Vaccines (Basel) ; 10(7)2022 Jul 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1988047

ABSTRACT

Essential agricultural workers work under occupational conditions that may increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and transmission. Data from an agricultural worker cohort in Guatemala, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid IgG (anti-N IgG) testing were used to estimate past infections and analyze risk factors associated with seropositivity at enrollment and association with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The stability of neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses were assessed in a subset of participants. The adjusted relative risk (aRR) for seroprevalence at enrollment was estimated accounting for correlations within worksites. At enrollment, 616 (46.2%) of 1334 (93.2%) participants had anti-N IgG results indicating prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. A cough ≤ 10 days prior to enrollment (aRR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.13-1.46) and working as a packer (aRR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.67-2.38) or packing manager within the plants (aRR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.36-2.43) were associated with increased risk of seropositivity. COVID-19 incidence density among seronegative workers was 2.3/100 Person-Years (P-Y), higher than seropositive workers (0.4/100 P-Y). Most workers with follow-up NAb testing (65/77, 84%) exhibited a 95% average decrease in NAb titers in <6 months. While participants seropositive at baseline were less likely to experience a symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection during follow-up, NAb titers rapidly waned, underscoring the need for multipronged COVID-19 prevention strategies in the workplace, including vaccination.

14.
Int J Equity Health ; 21(1): 98, 2022 07 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1935521

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Nine migrant agricultural workers died in Ontario, Canada, between January 2020 and June 2021. METHODS: To better understand the factors that contributed to the deaths of these migrant agricultural workers, we used a modified qualitative descriptive approach. A research team of clinical and academic experts reviewed coroner files of the nine deceased workers and undertook an accompanying media scan. A minimum of two reviewers read each file using a standardized data extraction tool. RESULTS: We identified four domains of risk, each of which encompassed various factors that likely exacerbated the risk of poor health outcomes: (1) recruitment and travel risks; (2) missed steps and substandard conditions of healthcare monitoring, quarantine, and isolation; (3) barriers to accessing healthcare; and (4) missing information and broader issues of concern. CONCLUSION: Migrant agricultural workers have been disproportionately harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Greater attention to the unique needs of this population is required to avoid further preventable deaths.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Transients and Migrants , Farmers , Humans , Ontario/epidemiology , Pandemics
15.
Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development ; 11(3):18, 2022.
Article in English | Web of Science | ID: covidwho-1918019

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we report on research findings from a cross-sectional survey with 143 primarily Mexican migrant agricultural worker respondents in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Participants reported high rates of experiences of threats and violence by employers, limited faith in the follow-through of both Canadian and country-of-origin authorities when reporting concerns, and a unanimous lack of knowledge in how to file a claim of a legal matter (e.g., housing, human rights violation). Most participants also reported that they believed they would receive poorer health care in relation to their Canadian counterparts and that their privacy would not be protected. While certain indicators, such as knowledge of resources for transportation, translation, and legal advocacy were higher than previous research would suggest, most participants did not feel confident that more serious issues would be addressed if they sought help. Our results suggest migrant workers in BC report similar, or even higher, rates of experiences and expectations of poor social support, legal protection, and health care in comparison to prior research in this region and elsewhere. While further research would be required to confirm this hypothesis, the impact of COVID-19 on this population is undeniable. Our findings highlight the need for greater regional and provincial commitments to fund targeted services for migrant agricultural workers that address the unique barriers they face. Additionally, greater attention and funding must be dedicated to supporting this population to navigate and access services that already exist. Together, dedicated initiatives could make a major difference for this workforce. Federal investments in support services of this nature would ensure the sustainability of such efforts. In addition, reforms to temporary migrant agricultural programs, such as open work permits and immediate access to permanent residence, would better afford workers opportunities to access the rights and protections that are currently out of reach for many.

16.
Mexican Studies-Estudios Mexicanos ; 38(1):114-139, 2022.
Article in Spanish | Web of Science | ID: covidwho-1742059

ABSTRACT

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, agricultural workers in the United States were defined by the administration of former president Donald Trump as "essential workers," despite the fact that half of them are undocumented. Most of these workers were born in Mexico, and both the immigrants who already reside in that country and those who enter the United States temporarily with H-2A visas have continued to work to produce food for the entire population. This article analyzes the labor participation of Mexican immigrants in agricultural work in the United States during the pandemic and the socio-economic and working conditions that make them especially vulnerable to being infected with COVID-19. The study reveals that, in 2020, Mexican immigrants, in comparison with the total number of US workers, had the highest labor-force participation rate in economic activities considered essential. Despite transitioning from invisibility to visibility during the pandemic, many agricultural workers constitute a population that is highly vulnerable to the coronavirus, especially those who are undocumented and do not have health insurance. Moreover, many workers have different comorbidities, such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and obesity, that constitute risk factors for COVID-19.

17.
Mexican Studies ; 38(1):140-169, 2022.
Article in English | ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-1686168

ABSTRACT

This essay focuses on Mexican migrant farmworkers employed in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. During this time, Mexican workers became essential yet expendable while their agricultural employers reaped the material rewards as an essential industry. Through the lens of racialization and structural vulnerability, I explicate how the Mexican and Canadian states facilitated the continuation of capital accumulation in agriculture through the subjugation of Mexican workers. I seek to contribute to the nascent literature on the pandemic in relation to temporary-labor migration programs, Mexican migrant workers, and the racialization of workers to produce a tractable and cheap labor force.

18.
IMISCOE Research Series ; : 65-84, 2022.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-1573891

ABSTRACT

During the early months of the 2020 pandemic, migrants who travelled to the United States to pick crops, scrub floors, stock warehouses, and tend to elders became ‘heroes’ for performing necessary labour – unless they were surplus bodies crammed into prison-like detention waystations before being deported for the crime of arriving without proper papers. The pandemic intensified states of precarity. Especially among those labelled as ‘essential workers’, the lack of protective equipment and labour rights put them on the frontline of exposure. But domestic and home care workers, meatpackers, fieldhands, and others in the US stepped out of the shadows to demand inclusion in social assistance, occupational health and safety laws, and other state benefits. This chapter historicises the recent hardships and the organising of (im)migrant workers: it shows that the policies of Donald J. Trump were not an aberration, but part of a national pattern of racial differentiation with gendered inflections. Vulnerability, however, is only part of the story. Workers remained resilient in the face of the hidden enemy of Covid-19, as they sought safe and decent living and working conditions. © 2022, The Author(s).

19.
J Agromedicine ; 25(4): 353-356, 2020 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1174757

ABSTRACT

Face-to-face outreach and in-person training have traditionally been key strategies in reaching agricultural producers, workers, and communities with safety and health information, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced outreach educators to be creative and find alternative ways to reach, communicate, and share such information. In this commentary, we describe our use of social media to reach Latino/a cattle feedyard workers with COVID-19 related information. As a result of our effort, we reached over 54,000 people and demonstrated there is an audience for Spanish-language agricultural safety and health information. Social media can be a cost-effective method for virtual outreach in this new normal. We should look at this time as an opportunity to learn more about how our stakeholders obtain information and about how best we can connect with them. Although our outreach methods may be changing, our goal is not - we will continue to work to improve the safety and health of those who work in agriculture.


Subject(s)
COVID-19/psychology , Social Media , User-Computer Interface , COVID-19/epidemiology , Communication , Farmers/psychology , Farmers/statistics & numerical data , Health Education/methods , Hispanic or Latino/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Language , Occupational Health , Pandemics
20.
J Migr Health ; 3: 100035, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1142057

ABSTRACT

In 2018, 55,734 jobs in Canadian agriculture were filled by temporary migrant workers, accounting for nearly 20 percent of total employment in this sector. Though referred to as temporary, those migrant workers often fill long-term positions and provide crucial support to the Canadian agricultural industry, which has seen an increasing disengagement from the domestic workforce in the last fifteen years. Health vulnerabilities faced by temporary migrant workers are already well documented. In addition, there are multiple systemic factors inherent within the structure and implementation of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program that contribute to the perpetuation of health inequities within this population. The COVID-19 pandemic has both exacerbated many of these disparities and further increased the risk of labour rights violations and vulnerability to exploitation for these workers. As Canada's 2020 growing season comes to an end, thousands of temporary migrant agricultural workers are returning to their native countries. With planning for next year's growing season already commencing, this timely analysis aims to examine health vulnerabilities faced by TMAWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five key areas are examined: occupational injuries, substandard living conditions, psychological difficulties, lack of access to healthcare and barriers in exercising labour rights. Building on this analysis, recommendations for policy and practice aimed at improving migrant workers' health are discussed.

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