Workplace Preference among Farmworkers: Piece Rate, Pesticides, and the Perspective of Fruit and Vegetable Harvesters

Abstract

Farmworkers in US agriculture encounter structural vulnerability. They are economic refugees, fleeing starvation. After risking their lives to cross the border and find work, they continue to be marginalized in society, and constantly fear deportation. Although farmwork is hazardous, it is necessary to be able to support themselves and their families. Research has found that although farmworkers are aware of the health side effects that result from exposure to pesticides, they continue to labor in conventional fields because not working is viewed as a larger risk. This study adds to that literature by asking farmworkers about preference for working in organic or conventional production. Even when organic is an option, farmworkers prefer conventional production when they earn more money in conventional. Because of their extreme economic vulnerability, the possibility of earning less income to work in a safer environment is viewed as undesirable. Rather than changing wage structure to incentivize working in organic agriculture, what is needed, in addition to more political protection for farmworkers, is increased regulation of pesticides. All agricultural workplaces should be made less toxic.

Sharing the struggle for fairness: Exploring possibilities for solidarity & just labour in organic agriculture

“…Moreover, the "naturalness" or nonsynthetic nature of an allowable organic input is not necessarily a proxy for non-toxicity. 5 In a recent project, Soper (2019Soper ( , 2021 found that workers prefer working on conventional farms due to improved earning potential. When assessing job quality (e.g., wages and employment procedures) across farm size, Harrison and Getz (2015) found that larger organic farms provided better quality jobs than their smaller counterparts, and that job quality benefits were disproportionately afforded to white workers in managerial positions across farms.…”