Six Programs That Protect and Empower Farmworkers

Daisy Prado, Foodwise Staff
March 20, 2025

The United States is home to approximately 2.4 million farmworkers who dedicate their days to cultivating crops and harvesting our food. Out of those three million, 68 percent are foreign-born, 44 percent are undocumented, and almost 70 percent of those people are from Mexico, according to the National Agricultural Workers Survey.

Even then, the National Agricultural Workers Survey admits that their own results may be skewed with lower undocumented percentages because many survey takers were scared to report undocumented status. As the White House continues to issue policies that target immigrants, and Mexican immigrants in particular, it is important now more than ever to protect, support, and empower the people who are vital to our local and national food system.

In honor of National Farmworker Awareness Week (March 25-31) and Cesar Chavez’s birthday on March 31, we wanted to bring attention to the vital community of farmworkers we all depend on to bring food to our tables. Here are a few organizations and programs that empower and protect our farmworkers.

Agricultural Justice Project (Food Justice Certified Label)
The Agricultural Justice Project was created to provide farms and food businesses with tools to improve work and trade practices from farm to retail. One of the technical tools AJP provides is a certification program for social justice standards called Food Justice Certification (FJC), deemed the “gold standard for labor and trade practices in North America.” In 2014, a former Ferry Plaza Farmers Market seller, Swanton Berry Farm, became one of four farms in the United States to receive the FJC label, which sets rigorous standards for respectful treatment of farmworkers, living wages, safe working conditions, and collective bargaining rights. Shoppers can find FJC products at their grocery stores, farmers markets, CSAs, and on roadside stands.

Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA)
ALBA’s 100-acre training farm carries out their mission of creating economic opportunity for low-income and aspiring organic farmers. The five-year Farmer Education and Enterprise Development (FEED) program at the Salinas Valley-based facility arms farmers with knowledge on how to launch a farm business, how to grow organic farms, and how to market the produce they grow. ALBA’s two training and educational farms are designed as business incubators. Many of ALBA’s graduates have gone on to run successful farms and CSAs all around the state, such as Sergio Jimenez from Ground Stew Farms, and Javier Zamora of JSM Organics, both former Ferry Plaza Farmers Market sellers.

Alianza Nacional de Campesinas
Launched in 2011, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas is the first national organization dedicated to empowering women farmworkers to make sure they have a leadership seat at the policy table and to combat violence against women in the fields. The organization inspired the “Time’s Up” initiative after the Monica Ramírez, co-founder and president of Alianza, drafted an open letter in TIME expressing their support for the actresses who were speaking up against sexual assault in the workplace and raising awareness for the conditions and injustices many women farmworkers face each day.

Farmworker Justice
Created in 1981 to empower migrant and seasonal farmworkers, Farmworker Justice seeks to help farmworkers improve their own living and working conditions, immigration status, health, occupational safety, and access to justice. Farmworker Justice collaborates with private law firms and legal advocacy organizations to help fight labor abuse of farmworkers and advance farmworker rights. In 2018, farmworker and health organizations represented by Earthjustice and Farmworker Justice filed suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt for delaying for a year implementation of the revised Certification of Pesticide Applicators (CPA) rule, which would have protected minors from continuing to handle some of the most toxic pesticides in agricultural, commercial, and residential settings.

United Farm Workers of America (UFW)
Created by Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and Gilbert Padilla in 1962, UFW has grown to be a powerhouse for organizing farmworkers and advocating for their rights. It originated from the merger of two workers’ rights organizations, the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) led by Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, and the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) led by organizer Larry Itliong, and it brought national attention to the farmworker cause in the 1960s leading to several union contracts in states across the country. UFW’s mission is to provide resources to not just to farmworkers but also other working people and to promote a fair and just food supply. UFW sponsors legislation that advocates for farmworkers and runs campaigns to protect the labor force.

Hijas Del Campo (HDC)
In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, four mothers began handing out food, water, personal protective equipment and other necessities to farmworkers in Contra Costa County. Hijas Del Campo, which translates to ‘Daughters of the Field,’ addresses the needs of local farmworkers with multiple programs and initiatives focused on health, food, housing, and education. Their Casita Project exists to increase the amount of “affordable, high-quality, and sustainable housing” for farmworkers in Contra Costa and San Joaquin counties. As a part of this program, Hijas del Campo recently built three tiny homes to add to existing farmworker housing on Frog Hollow Farm, located in Brentwood. Hijas Del Campo builds programs in collaboration with the community, and is always accepting feedback from Contra Costa and San Joaquin farmers and farmworkers.

Take action to raise awareness and protect farmworkers this National Farmworker Awareness Week at Student Action with Farmworkers.

This article was updated from a previously published version.

Topics: Farmers, Farmers market, Farms, New farmers