Under the Weather: Farmworker Health
Author: National Advisory Council on Migrant Health
Date Published: 1993
This document highlights farmworkers' testimonies concerning farmworker health taken during three hearings. Six consistent themes emerged from farmworker accounts: (1) health and health care; (2) work conditions; (3) pesticide exposure; (4) housing; (5) women; and (6) children and youth. Farmworkers frequently mentioned injuries, eye problems, and skin rashes as common physical ailments. They both praised and criticized health care programs. Some problematic work conditions cited were low wages, lack of benefits, and poor field sanitation. Farmworkers expressed concern about the immediate and long-term effects of pesticide exposure. The most prominent issue of the hearings was the need for affordable housing that meets some minimal standard. Women expressed concerns about physical labor and pesticide exposure during pregnancy as well as gender discrimination and sexual violence. Concerns for children and youth included lack of health services, poor working conditions, lack of housing, pesticide exposure, and the need for sensitive child care programs and schools. The report is divided into six sections each of which discusses one of the major themes. Each section contains selected excerpts of presentations by current or former farmworkers. The testimonies are accompanied by a brief editor's commentary that summarizes additional related testimony and notes continuities and differences across the three hearings. A selected resource list includes written materials, films, videos, and organizations.
Date Published: 1993
This document highlights farmworkers' testimonies concerning farmworker health taken during three hearings. Six consistent themes emerged from farmworker accounts: (1) health and health care; (2) work conditions; (3) pesticide exposure; (4) housing; (5) women; and (6) children and youth. Farmworkers frequently mentioned injuries, eye problems, and skin rashes as common physical ailments. They both praised and criticized health care programs. Some problematic work conditions cited were low wages, lack of benefits, and poor field sanitation. Farmworkers expressed concern about the immediate and long-term effects of pesticide exposure. The most prominent issue of the hearings was the need for affordable housing that meets some minimal standard. Women expressed concerns about physical labor and pesticide exposure during pregnancy as well as gender discrimination and sexual violence. Concerns for children and youth included lack of health services, poor working conditions, lack of housing, pesticide exposure, and the need for sensitive child care programs and schools. The report is divided into six sections each of which discusses one of the major themes. Each section contains selected excerpts of presentations by current or former farmworkers. The testimonies are accompanied by a brief editor's commentary that summarizes additional related testimony and notes continuities and differences across the three hearings. A selected resource list includes written materials, films, videos, and organizations.
