The Impact of COVID-19 on US Organic Farmers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Rosero D ; Sebastian R ; Soto Mas F ; Rosero D ; Sebastian R ; Soto Mas F
• Description:
  The emergence of COVID-19 and subsequent lock down restrictions to prevent the spread of disease triggered a global disruption in food systems, pacing limitations on agricultural production and distribution. While farmers may be considered essential workers, there is a scarcity of data on the impact of the pandemic in this population, including organic farmers. We conducted a cross-sectional study of US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified organic producers recruited through the USDA Integrity Database. Participants completed a 28-items self-reported survey on COVID-19 prevalence and preventive behaviors. Data from 286 participants were included for analysis. Cronbach's alpha (a=.88) was calculated to measure the internal consistency of a six-item prevention scale, and we performed correlation and regression analyses to assess the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics of respondents and frequency of prevention practices. Self-reported infection rate was 5% among producers. While several socio-demographic characteristics were correlated with prevalence of prevention methods, only gender and farm size remained statistically significant predictors of prevention behaviors in the regression model, with females reporting more use of prevention methods (β=.278, p<.000) and those with 100 or more certified organic acres reporting less use of prevention methods (β=-.231, p<.001). Understanding the frequency of adherence to prevention methods within essential industries, such as agriculture, is important for effective targeting of public health policies and messaging. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Communicable Diseases Community Health Services Demography Farmers Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Community Health COVID-19 Cross Sectional Studies Demographic Characteristics
• Publisher:
  American Public Health Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary ; Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  New Mexico ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070056
• Citation:
  Creating the Healthiest Nation: Strengthening Social Connectedness. APHA 149th Annual Meeting and Exposition, October 24-27, 2021, Denver, Colorado and virtual event. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2021 Oct; :505034
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing ; Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Center at Tyler
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Creating the Healthiest Nation: Strengthening Social Connectedness. APHA 149th Annual Meeting and Exposition, October 24-27, 2021, Denver, Colorado and virtual event
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:15f07608e11f8f91c57fcd908432f309efe41ab76df4369e54475765767ba83acb190f31722eb7b6c833fd3be3393c4f3a9983fafa7005e6f0a5f64cb74d7b62
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208354/cdc_208354_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 316.06 KB ]