"The Ones Who Are On Their Best Behavior Keep Coming": H-2A Farmworkers in Idaho

Details

• Journal Article:
  Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
• Personal Author:
  Meierotto, Lisa ; Som Castellano, Rebecca ; Hyland. Carly
• Description:
  H-2A farmworkers in the United States live in a state of liminality, navigating systemic precarity as they move between their home countries and employment in the U.S. While the H-2A program offers benefits such as legal passage across the border, a guaranteed minimum wage, housing, and transportation, the program also presents significant challenges. Some scholars claim the H-2A program is akin to modern-day slavery and argue temporary agricultural workers experience unfreedom in their labor. In this paper, we share data related to H-2A farmworkers collected during a 2022 study on pesticide risk and exposure in Idaho. Drawing upon interview and survey data, we explore the precarity inherent in the H-2A program, and consider logistical, financial, and socio-emotional challenges facing H-2A workers, highlighting the experiences of a small group of farmworkers in Idaho. Through the analysis of this data, we find evidence that H-2A farmworkers in Idaho experience liminality, precarity, and unfreedom. This paper is a timely call for additional research on H-2A farmworker experiences. We highlight specific issues, concerns, and trends that warrant additional study. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Agriculture
  • Occupational Health
  • Pesticides
  • Safety
  • Transients and Migrants
• Keywords:
  • Farm workers
  • Temporary workers
  • Agricultural workers
  • Agriculture
  • Seasonal workers
  • Pesticides
  • Qualitative analysis
  • Author Keywords: farmworkers
  • H-2A visa
  • precarity
  More +
• ISSN:
  2152-0798
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Idaho ; San Francisco Region OSHA ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  16 pdf pages
• Volume:
  14
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071833
• Citation:
  J Agric Food Syst Community Dev 2025 Jun; 14(3):141-156
• Contact Point Address:
  Lisa Meierotto, Associate Professor, School of Public Service, Boise State University; 1910 University Drive; Boise Idaho, 83725 USA
• Email:
  lisameierotto@boisestate.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  2001/09/30
• End Date:
  2027/09/29
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/260055/cdc_260055_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 370.79 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:989f17f9631036b762362677189f4a75fd7ea19816d276ebee6681161ef11eb1bc9dbe64db9e658353e291afec2d6622a9de041756c6208e23a4e9b73c948e57