Health of Migrant Farmworkers in California

For more than half a century, California has led the nation in agricultural production, supplying over 50% of the nation's fruits, nuts, and vegetables, while exporting 20% of its produce to feed the world. This harvest generated almost $27 billion in gross income in 2000, with an estimated $100 billion in related economic activity. Unlike much of the nation's agriculture, which has been transformed by mechanization, California remains heavily dependent upon a large seasonal workforce, since most of the state's 350 crops cannot be harvested by mechanical means. At present, our migrant farm worker workforce numbers some 732,000 workers, employed on the state's 85,000 farms. When household members, who include an estimated 400,000 children under the age of 18, are counted, the total number involved is 1.3 million. In spite of the economic value of the harvest they produce, California's migrant workers still find themselves largely marginalized and impoverished. Since they are excluded from basic labor regulations with respect to overtime pay, child minimum age requirements, and some health and safety worker protections, it is not surprising that they have made little progress. The racial and ethnic composition of the workforce has changed significantly over the past 30 years; while it was once made up of Asian, White, and Latino workers, it is now more than 95% Latino, of which 34-42% are undocumented. Growers no longer hire workers directly, electing instead to use farm labor contractors for the most part. Most growers no longer provide housing; the number of farm labor camps has dropped from 5,000 in 1980 to just 1,000 in the year 2000. In spite of their hard labor, 61% of migrant families are impoverished; often they are not paid the minimum wage and the State lacks enough inspectors to enforce existing regulations. With low wages, inadequate housing, and dangerous work, it is not surprising that studies have documented high rates of injuries among farm workers; further, a significant number suffer from poor nutrition and chronic disease as well as depression. Although access to affordable quality health care for migrant women and children has improved, it still falls below national standards. The men are worse off; almost half have not seen a physician in over two years. Dental care remains almost non-existent in many farm areas. Because approximately 70% of migrant agricultural workers lack public or private health insurance, this lack of access to health care is not …