from the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
|
|
JAFSCD is the world’s only community-supported journal. JAFSCD content is open access (free) thanks to the generous support of our shareholders: the JAFSCD Shareholder Consortium, Library Shareholders, a growing number of Individual Shareholders, and our six JAFSCD Partners: |
|
|
Although they make up close to 15% of our agricultural worker population, H-2A workers are excluded from the National Agricultural Survey. On a national level, we do not know how old H-2A workers are, their education level or marital status, their years of experience, or even which area they hail from within a sending country.
A new JAFSCD article, Mexican sending region and workplace experience: A preliminary study of agricultural guestworkers in Ohio, shares the results of a 2022 survey of male, Mexican H-2A workers in Ohio (N = 267), providing this basic demographic information for H-2A workers in that state. We then examine the relationship between sending regions of Mexico and certain workplace outcomes, specifically the likelihood of working for a foreign labor contractor, subsector of H-2A labor, and risk of being charged to participate in the program.
Findings include a higher risk of predatory recruitment practices for men from Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero, and a funneling effect toward agriculture (as opposed to nurseries) for those same states. Intended as exploratory research, the results lay the groundwork for similar projects in other states and suggest a place-based approach for developing program improvements. KEY FINDINGS
Certain workplace experiences, and consequently certain kinds of risks, are not evenly distributed throughout the H-2A population. For example: -
H-2A workers from Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero are more likely to experience predatory recruitment practices than workers from Guanajuato.
- Workers from Central and South Central Mexico are more likely to work for foreign labor contractors when compared with workers from Guanajuato.
-
Workers from the Southwest Region or the Southeast Coast are more likely to work in agricultural settings, harvesting fruits and vegetables, than workers from Guanajuato, who are more likely to work in greenhouses and nurseries.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH
Practitioners should understand that risk and workplace conditions are not uniform throughout a state’s H-2A worker population and should therefore target programming to support the more vulnerable sectors of the population.
For their part, researchers can use this study to inform surveys of H-2A workers in other regions of the U.S., documenting both the demographics and establishing the risk factors specific to their states. Meanwhile, policymakers designing programs related to cross-border guestworker programs can use this information to invest resources in supporting the regions in Mexico identified here as being particularly vulnerable to predatory recruitment practices. SHARE ON YOUR SOCIALS
Who are Ohio’s H-2A agricultural workers? Where are they from? How long have they been an H-2A worker? One author drove 10,000 miles in 3 months to find out. @OSU #migrantworkers #guestworkers #H2A #foodjustice Read the @JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2024.134.006
|
Photo above: Federico Merida, principal assistant to the Superintendent of Agua Fria (Mexico), supervises and supports field workers. Photo from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. Photo credit: CIMMYT/Alfonso Cortés, taken August 2018 and used via CC BY-NC 2.0 on Flickr.
|
|
|
NEW RESOURCE FROM A JAFSCD SHAREHOLDER
|
New Farmer Guide to Fertilizing with Urine
The Rich Earth Institute is delighted to announce the release of our new Farmer Guide to Fertilizing with Urine. Farmers around the world have harnessed the fertilizing power of human urine for millennia. In recent years, interest in urine nutrient reclamation has been surging, driven by spiking synthetic fertilizer prices, global supply disruptions, and increasing regulations on aquatic nutrient pollution. This new guide is rooted in Rich Earth’s extensive research with farmer-partners in Southern Vermont and is enriched by insights into urine fertilization from researchers around the world. It joins our other guides to community and home garden urine recycling, offering resources to practitioners at different scales.
Download a free, digital copy of the guide
Readers of the guide are invited to complete a very short (four-question) feedback survey on the guide to inform our future research and farmer communications. |
|
|
UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology
Agricultural Operations and Programs Manager
The Agricultural Operations and Programs Manager is a key staff position supporting both on- and off-campus collaborations that extend the reach of center programs and facilities and increase utilization and impact. The incumbent is responsible for broad decisions that will direct and impact the coordination, planning, and management of a diverse array of agricultural operations (tractor-cultivated fields, gardens), facilities (research labs, operational buildings, and educational facilities), and programs (academic, co-curricular, cooperative extension).
For details or to apply, go to UC Santa Cruz Campus Careers. |
|
|
This email is sent to you as a notification of the newest JAFSCD articles and other occasional JAFSCD news. |
|
JAFSCD is an open access, community-supported journal! Your library, program, or organization can become a shareholder to help keep JAFSCD's content available to all, regardless of their resources. We welcome anyone to become an individual shareholder; donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
|
|
|
|
