Addressing the Scarcity of Florida Farmworker Data: Using Geographic Information Systems to Assess Vulnerability in H-2A and Migrant Labor Camp Housing

Details

• Personal Author:
  Arosemena F ; Flocks J ; Morris JG
• Description:
  The H-2A program allows U.S. employers and labor contractors who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the U.S. to fill temporary or seasonal farmworker positions. Three of the top five states with the highest number of H-2A agricultural guest-workers are in the southeastern coastal areas of Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia. Florida, from 2017-2020, had the highest number of H-2A workers petitioned with 40,018 workers (2017), 51,681 (2018), 67,137 (2019), and 67,802 (2020). Each of these employer-granted H-2A certifications and migrant labor camp (MLC) permit holders are obligated to provide housing to their workers, with H-2A receiving housing at no cost. Florida housing camps/sites have not been adequately researched and this study aims to explore farmworker housing within an ecological context that is underrepresented in the literature. Geographic information systems (GIS) techniques were utilized to map 32 H-2A/MLC farmworker housing locations granted certifications. Rural/suburban housing camps/sites were assessed for public transportation and health access vulnerability across sixteen counties. All locations were hard-to-reach due to rurality or location along unpaved roads within housing encampment grounds obstructed from view by tall hedges, trees, buildings, and fences. Each received an unsatisfactory inspection in 2021-2022, with multiple violations providing further evidence of farmworker inequities. Findings suggest area disadvantage, residential isolation, limited healthcare access and limitations for broader social inclusion. This assessment underscores the need for strategies to eliminate disparities among Florida farmworker populations and a stronger understanding of the mental and physical health implications associated with neighborhood factors. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Emigration And Immigration Farmers Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Farm Workers Migrant Workers Seasonal Workers
• Publisher:
  International Society of Exposure Science
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  277-278
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070663
• Citation:
  International Society of Exposure Science 2022 Annual Meeting (ISES 2022): From Exposure to Human Health: New Developments and Challenges in a Changing Environment, September 25-29, 2022, Lisbon, Portugal. Ottawa, Canada: International Society of Exposure Science, 2022 Sep; :277-278
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Florida, Gainesville
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20160930
• Source Full Name:
  International Society of Exposure Science 2022 Annual Meeting (ISES 2022): From Exposure to Human Health: New Developments and Challenges in a Changing Environment, September 25-29, 2022, Lisbon, Portugal
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6933d5b1bf86917dcd3262450dd421597334de94676eb25240da15cbe4cf4ac93885a5bc87ca837fa57b183e8b33f96db217e35fc5a7b371b6a2419cc02bd2b7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208839/cdc_208839_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 393.80 KB ]