Health and Environmental Justice

Farmworkers experience unique and challenging workplace hazards. From heat stress to pesticide exposure, many farmworkers suffer due to poor access to healthcare resources or lack the knowledge that these services are available to them. 

With the emergence of the COVID threat in 2020, FWAF pivoted services to address the unprecedented economic and health needs suddenly faced by the community. A series of informational videos were prepared in Spanish, Haitian Creole, and in a Mexican Indigenous language to help community members understand the threat and learn about resources. Once testing became available, FWAF served as a testing site and now in 2021 we are also the hosting vaccine clinics for the rural, low income, and immigrant communities where we work. 

Through education and community organizing, the Farmworkers Association of Florida works to improve farmworkers’ health, working conditions, and access to quality healthcare; raise awareness of the harmful effects of toxic pesticides; and influence policy related to health and safety protections for farmworkers.

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Most Farmworkers Speak Spanish, but Pesticide Safety Labels Are Often Only Printed in English

 
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In the news: Hispanic and Latino farmworkers at high risk from pesticide use in agriculture

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