Job Quality in the Fields: Improving Farm Work in the US

Farm workers play an essential role in feeding our nation’s families. Despite their key role in our food system, these workers are largely underpaid, receive little time off, and have little recourse when subjected to dangerous working conditions. Half of the households in this majority-Latino workforce of more than two million earn less than $30,000 a year – and many struggle to put food on their own tables. Immigrant workers also face the risk of having their immigration status exploited, putting their safety and well-being in danger. Some become victims of forced slavery and human trafficking. Better jobs for farm workers are possible and within reach. Multiple states have led the way in legislating better pay and protections, including the right to organize, a right these essential workers have long been excluded from. New high-road business models are showing ways workers and owners can succeed together, and new technologies are being developed to make farm work safer. But poor pay, dangerous working conditions, and inadequate labor and immigration laws persist for the vast majority of farm workers. In this conversation — hosted in partnership with the Aspen Institute’s Food & Society Program — a panel of experts discuss the long-standing challenges in this essential sector and how to build good jobs for farm workers. Our speakers include: Gerardo Reyes Chavez, Coalition of Immokalee Workers Daniel Costa, Economic Policy Institute L. Lloys Frates, Ph.D, Frutura Mireya Loza, Georgetown University Ximena Bustillo, NPR For video, photos, transcript, and additional resources from this event, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/job-quality-in-the-fields-improving-farm-work-in-the-us/ Join us March 19 on Zoom for our next event, “Workers On the Line: Improving Jobs in Meat and Poultry Processing.” Click here to RSVP: https://aspeninstitute.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517096789931/WN_hJRY_m01TIOL-rm96tce-w