Mutual Concerns Of Farmers And Farmworkers: An Agenda For Building Partnerships In Michigan
Author: Siles, Marcelo E.
Date Published: 1995
This document reports on a survey regarding the needs and concerns of 51 members of grower associations, 35 seasonal farmworkers, and 74 migrant farmworkers in Michigan. The survey was conducted during the conference "Building Partnerships: Growers, Farmworkers, and Agencies United," held on December 10, 1994, in Lansing, Michigan. The age and work history of the survey participants varied: growers' mean age was 49.2 years with an average of 26.8 years of farm work, seasonal workers reported a mean age of 31.8 and averaged 15.5 years of farm work, and migrant farmworkers had an average age of 30.8 years and averaged 16.9 years of farm work. Growers reported the highest level of education with more than 50 percent having at least a 4-year college degree. Both migrants and seasonal farmworkers reported very low educational levels: 83.6 percent of migrants and 71 percent of seasonal farmworkers had not graduated from high school. The majority of the report consists of figures illustrating survey data and comments from survey participants regarding issues related to health care, housing, Head Start and day care, migrant education, adult education, employment and training, social services, employment services, availability of farm labor, labor laws, migrant legal services, civil rights, discrimination, and law enforcement. Opinions on the need for services varied widely, both between and within groups. Nevertheless, this report stresses the importance of encouraging harmonious relationships between farmers and hired farmworkers and the need for agencies to address common interests and concerns of these groups
Date Published: 1995
This document reports on a survey regarding the needs and concerns of 51 members of grower associations, 35 seasonal farmworkers, and 74 migrant farmworkers in Michigan. The survey was conducted during the conference "Building Partnerships: Growers, Farmworkers, and Agencies United," held on December 10, 1994, in Lansing, Michigan. The age and work history of the survey participants varied: growers' mean age was 49.2 years with an average of 26.8 years of farm work, seasonal workers reported a mean age of 31.8 and averaged 15.5 years of farm work, and migrant farmworkers had an average age of 30.8 years and averaged 16.9 years of farm work. Growers reported the highest level of education with more than 50 percent having at least a 4-year college degree. Both migrants and seasonal farmworkers reported very low educational levels: 83.6 percent of migrants and 71 percent of seasonal farmworkers had not graduated from high school. The majority of the report consists of figures illustrating survey data and comments from survey participants regarding issues related to health care, housing, Head Start and day care, migrant education, adult education, employment and training, social services, employment services, availability of farm labor, labor laws, migrant legal services, civil rights, discrimination, and law enforcement. Opinions on the need for services varied widely, both between and within groups. Nevertheless, this report stresses the importance of encouraging harmonious relationships between farmers and hired farmworkers and the need for agencies to address common interests and concerns of these groups
