Qualitative Study to Explore the Occupational and Reproductive Health Challenges among Women Tobacco Farm Laborers in Mysore District, India.

Tobacco farm laborers are primarily women and children working for very low wages. The aim of this study was to explore occupational and reproductive health challenges faced by women tobacco farm laborers in Mysore District, India. We conducted interviews and six focus group discussions among 41 women tobacco farm laborers. Codes and themes were generated based on deductive and inductive approaches using the socioecological model. Participants reported symptoms of green tobacco sickness including headaches, back pain, gastric problems, weakness, and allergies during menstruation, pre-natal, and post-natal periods. Participants had poor awareness about the health effects of tobacco farming, and there were gender inequalities in wages and the use of personal protective equipment. Participants received support from family and community health workers during their pregnancy and post-natal period. Women reported wanting maternity benefits from the tobacco board, as well as monetary support and nutritional supplements. There is a need for health education about the environmental dangers of tobacco among farm laborers, and more supportive policies for women farmworkers during pregnancy and post-natal periods.

Motivating factors of farmers' adaptation behaviors to climate change in China: A meta-analysis.

Adapting to climate change is critical to building sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. Understanding farmers' perceptions of climate change has become the key to the effective implementation of climate change adaptation policies. This research draws multidisciplinary attention to how farmers participate in decision-making on adaptation behaviors and provides useful insights for realizing synergies between environmental change and agricultural production. In this work, we conducted a meta-analysis of 63 quantitative studies on Chinese farmers' adaptation to climate change to assess the relationship between motivational factors and adaptation behavior. Our analysis highlights that farmers' perceptions of precipitation changes are often inaccurate; however, other psychological factors, such as perception, experience, and risk attitude, significantly positively impact their adaptation behavior. In addition, different climate regions are the main source of high heterogeneity in inter-study comparisons of climate change perception, and the effect of climate regions may therefore constitute a moderating factor that weakens the positive relationship between climate change perception and adaptive behavior. Furthermore, this study highlights the need to intervene at the household level to enhance farmers' adaptability to climate change, which includes providing support through income diversification, early warning information services, training, assistance, credit, subsidies, and other resources. In the future, research on how perception, experience, and risk interact to affect adaptive behavior should be strengthened.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of sheep owners regarding abortion in Northern Tunisia.

BACKGROUND: Abortion in ewes causes high economic losses and represents a threat for human health due to abortive zoonotic pathogens. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among sheep owners in the northern Tunisia regarding ewes' abortions. METHODS: Between February 2021 and May 2022, a structured questionnaire containing both close and open-ended questions was applied to 120 sheep owners in northern Tunisia. The data collected were analysed by chi-square test using Epi info 6 software. RESULTS: The majority (75%) of participants reported a history of abortion in their sheep flocks. Sheep owners thought that the most frequent cause of abortion was physical factors, such as trauma, climate and stress (60% ± 5.5%; 48/80), followed by toxicity (15% ± 4%; 12/80), metabolic and nutritional conditions (12.5% ± 3.7%; 10/80), vaccination (5% ± 2.4%; 4/80) and infectious causes (7.5% ± 2.9%; 6/80) (p < 0.001). The majority of animal owners reported that abortions occurred mainly during autumn (39.6% ± 5%; 38/96), followed by summer (27% ± 4.5%; 26/96), winter (23% ± 4.3%; 22/96) and spring (10.4% ± 3.1%; 10/96) (p < 0.001). Approximately, half (45.8% ± 5%; 55/120) of interviewed farmers would not take any action if an abortion occurred. Half of the interviewed farmers (50.5% ± 5.1%; 48/95) did not apply any preventive measures when manipulating aborted ewes, and most of the sheep owners (77.3% ± 3.8%; 92/119) did not know that aborted ewes could transmit zoonotic pathogens. CONCLUSIONS: Our survey concluded that sheep owners in Northern Tunisia had poor knowledge and attitudes as well as applied limited actions concerning several health aspects related to abortion. Education programmes should be established in order to improve Tunisian sheep owners' KAP regarding abortion.

Is badger culling associated with risk compensation behaviour among cattle farmers?

BACKGROUND: Risk compensation theory suggests that behaviours are modified in response to interventions that remove risks by substituting them with other risky behaviours to maintain a 'risk equilibrium'. Alternatively, risk reduction interventions may result in spill-over behaviours that seek to minimise risks further. This paper assessed evidence for these behavioural risk responses among farmers in response to badger culling that seeks to remove the risk of bovine tuberculosis in cattle. METHODS: Data from the UK's randomised badger culling trial were re-analysed, comparing farmers' cattle movement practices in proactive and reactive culling areas and control areas. Analysis compared cattle movements during and after the trial using zero-inflated negative binomial regression. RESULTS: The analysis found no strong evidence of risk compensation behaviours among farmers who experienced proactive culling. However, strong evidence for a reduction in cattle movements in reactive culling areas was found. The results indicate high levels of inertia within farming systems in relation to cattle purchasing. LIMITATIONS: Data do not account for the risk of cattle purchases and reflect previous policy regimens. Evidence from recent badger culling interventions should be analysed. CONCLUSION: Proactive badger culling was not associated with risk compensation behaviours, while reactive badger culling was associated with decreased risk taking among farmers.

The impact of rural e-commerce participation on farmers' entrepreneurial behavior: Evidence based on CFPS data in China.

The "Three Rural Issues", encompass challenges related to agriculture, farmer, and rural area, which hold significant importance in driving comprehensive rural revitalization efforts in China. Farmer entrepreneurship, as a crucial means to enhance productivity, create job opportunities, and increase residents' income, has gradually become a key driving force in promoting rural revitalization in the new stage of development in China. With the rapid development of rural e-commerce, farmer entrepreneurship has encountered new opportunities. This study utilizes the 2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data and employs a structural equation model (SEM) to analyze the direct impact of rural e-commerce participation on farmer entrepreneurial behavior, considering factors such as human capital, social capital, and network infrastructure. This study further explores the indirect effects and mechanisms of e-commerce participation as a mediating variable and analyzes the impact and mechanisms on agricultural entrepreneurship behavior. The findings are as follows: (1) E-commerce participation significantly promotes farmer entrepreneurial behavior; (2) E-commerce participation as a mediating variable has a positive indirect effect on the relationship between social trust, network infrastructure, human capital, and farmer entrepreneurial behavior; (3) E-commerce participation has a significant positive influence on farmer entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector, and farmers with higher levels of network infrastructure and human capital have a higher probability of choosing agricultural entrepreneurship under the influence of e-commerce participation. Finally, this study provides policy recommendations in terms of infrastructure construction, entrepreneurial policy environment, and education level, aiming to optimize the situation of farmer entrepreneurship and contribute to the comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization.Overall, the research in this paper effectively combines theory and empirical evidence to outline the direct and indirect impact mechanisms of rural e-commerce participation on farmers' entrepreneurial behavior and agriculture-related entrepreneurial behavior and to test the effects of their impacts. First, most of the existing literature deals with farmers in individual sample areas, while the sample selected in this paper is farmers in the whole country, which is relatively more generalizable; second, most of the previous studies explore the level of e-commerce in the inter-provincial or county areas, while this paper expands the empirical study of rural e-commerce on the entrepreneurial behavior of farmers and the micro-period of agricultural entrepreneurial behavior, and focuses on the impacts of the e-commerce activities of farmers on their entrepreneurial behavior.

Combining sentiment analysis and text mining with content analysis of farm vet interviews on mental wellbeing in livestock practice.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the How Farm Vets Cope project was to co-design, with farm veterinary surgeons, a set of web-based resources to help them and others deal with the different situations that they can face. As part of the wider project, participants were recruited for one-to-one semi-structured phone interviews. These interviews focused on elements of job satisfaction and how the participants coped during periods of poor mental wellbeing or with setbacks and failure. METHODS: Transcripts of these interviews were analysed using both quantitative methods of sentiment analysis and text mining, including term frequency/inverse document frequency and rapid automated keyword extraction, and qualitative content analysis. The twin aims of the analysis were identifying the important themes discussed by the participants and comparing the results of the two methods to see what differences, if any, arose. RESULTS: Analysis using the afinn and nrc sentiment lexicons identified emotional themes of anticipation and trust. Rapid automated keyword extraction highlighted issues around age of vets and support, whilst using term frequency/inverse document frequency allowed for individual themes, such as religion, not present across all responses, to be identified. Content analysis supported these findings, pinpointing examples of trust around relationships with farmers and more experienced vets, along with some examples of the difference good support networks can make, particularly to younger vets. FINDINGS: This work has confirmed previous results in identifying the themes of trust, communication and support to be integral to the experience of practicing farm veterinary surgeons. Younger or less experienced vets recognised themselves as benefiting from further support and signposting, leading to a discussion around the preparation of veterinary students for entry into a farm animal vet practice. The two different approaches taken showed very good agreement in their results. The quantitative approaches can be scaled to allow a larger number of interviews to be utilised in studies whilst still allowing the important qualitative results to be identified.

How to reduce the carbon footprint of the agricultural sector? Factors influencing farmers' decision to participate in carbon sequestration programs.

Mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon in agricultural soils through humus formation is a crucial component of sustainable agriculture. Humus programs that are designed to incentivize farmers to build more humus are still recent innovations, so current knowledge about farmers' motivation to participate is limited. This study examines the adoption of non-governmental humus programs to promote carbon sequestration by analyzing farmers' willingness to participate in humus programs and influential factors. We specifically investigate behavioral factors underlying farmers' adoption of humus programs using the Theory of Planned Behavior. To this end, we collected data using an online survey with 190 German farmers and applied partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results show that (i) perceived economic benefits, (ii) the actions of fellow farmers, and (iii) farmers' sense of responsibility with regard to climate change have a statistically significant influence on farmers' intention to participate in a humus program. In contrast, the perceived ecological benefits, political pressure, the possibility of establishing humus-building measures, and prior knowledge of humus programs have no statistically significant influence. Our findings suggest that farmers' decision to participate in humus programs is strongly influenced by the financial benefits, but the actions and thoughts of other farmers, as well as their own moral claims regarding climate change, also play a crucial role. We found that farmers lack knowledge about the registration and general functioning of humus programs, which can currently be one of the biggest barriers to participation in such initiatives.

Depressive symptoms and suicide attempts among farmers exposed to pesticides.

Pesticides safeguard crop health but may diminish cholinesterase activity in farmers, potentially leading to psychiatric disorders like depression and suicide attempts. This study, with 453 participants (225 pesticide-exposed farmers, 228 non-farmers) in Almería, Spain, aimed to investigate the presence of depressive symptoms and suicide attempts, the decrease acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity, and their relationship with pesticide exposure in farmers. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Spanish adaptation of the Beck Depression Inventory, and blood samples were analyzed for AChE and BChE activity. Farmers showed significantly increased risk of moderate/severe depression and suicide attempts compared to non-farmers (OR = 2.18; p = 0.001), with highest risks observed among mancozeb users (OR = 2.76; p = 0.001 for depression) and malathion users (OR = 3.50; p = 0.001 for suicide attempts). Findings emphasize elevated depression and suicide risks among pesticide-exposed farmers, particularly associated with chlorpyrifos, mancozeb, and malathion exposure.

The tales of contradiction: A thematic analysis of British sheep farmers' perceptions of managing sheep scab in their flocks.

Sheep scab is endemic in Great Britain with an estimated national herd-level prevalence of 10.9% from a surveyed population of sheep farms. Previous studies have investigated how sheep farmers manage sheep scab on their farms in Great Britain, but there have not been any qualitative studies investigating sheep farmers perceptions on the roles different stakeholders have in the management of sheep scab. This qualitative study aims to explore how sheep farmers perceive their role and the different stakeholders' roles in the management of sheep scab, and how they would like sheep scab to be managed going forward. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 43 sheep farmers from England, Scotland, and Wales. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, through the theoretical lens of Foucault's notion of 'biopower'. Two themes were generated: 'The feeling of powerlessness leads to a need of rules and regulations', with sub-themes: 'The need for governmental rules and regulations' and 'The need for rules and regulation at livestock markets', and 'An apparent lack of sheep scab surveillance', with sub-themes: 'The farmers perceive that the veterinarians have control over surveillance' and 'The farmers have control over surveillance on their farms'. In the first theme, the respondents suggested that more rules and regulations to control the management of sheep scab was required. This included reinstating of sheep scab as a notifiable disease in England and Wales, as well as more regulations at livestock markets to prevent the trading of infested sheep; both of which would subject the farmers to regulatory power mechanisms. The second theme centred around who has the control of surveillance on the farms. Most of the respondents perceived that the veterinarians had knowledge and expertise of the local area on sheep scab, which they were able to relay to the farmers. Thus, veterinarians exerted disciplinary power by creating 'docile' bodies. However, it also appeared that veterinarians were not regularly called onto farms. Although disciplinary power flows through the interactions between the farmer and veterinarian, the techniques currently used are not always having their desired effect. The study demonstrated that how sheep farmers want sheep scab to be managed is, at times, conflicting and contradictory, which highlights the complexity of sheep scab as a disease to manage.

Do predator attacks on productive species and the respective economic losses influence the psychological distress of farmers in Uruguay? A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: In Uruguay, productive animals are attacked by various predators, causing injuries and financial losses, leading to great concern for farmers. The objective of this study was to determine, using a cross-sectional study, if predator attacks on productive animals during the year 2021 influenced the psychological distress of farmers. METHODS: Four hundred and forty-two farmers from around the country were surveyed with questions according to the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (dependent variable), and predator attacks received in 2021 (independent variable). RESULTS: Of the total number of farmers surveyed, approximately 49% (216/442) had animals that had been attacked by predators. Farmers whose productive species were attacked in 2021 had higher levels of psychological distress than those whose animals were not attacked (p<0.01). Additionally, farmers who reported the highest levels of psychological distress had more deaths of productive species (and more financial losses) from predator attacks in 2021 than those who did not. CONCLUSION: The losses of productive species and the financial costs negatively influenced the psychological distress of farmers. This information highlights the need to generate public policies about farmers wellbeing that help them in these situations.

Canadian farmers' perceptions of social sustainability in agriculture.

Sustainable food production is an important part of dietetic education and training; however, the focus in the dietetic sphere is often on the environmental aspect. Understanding the multi-dimensional nature of sustainability can enhance dietetic students' sustainability competences-such as empathy and change of perspective, systems thinking, and critical thinking and analysis-to help them in their future careers and strengthen their position in society as trusted and knowledgeable food and nutrition professionals. Enhancing public understanding of sustainable food production is imperative as populations become more urban, are less connected to agriculture, and have expectations for sustainably grown/raised food, often without knowing current food production practices or the multiple aspects of sustainability that must be in place for farmers to meet those demands. The goal of this research was to understand Canadian farmers' perceptions of environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainable food production. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach and constant comparative analysis, four food and nutrition researchers analyzed interviews from 52 farmers from across Canada. Participants had to be English-speaking, produce food through farming on land, and own or rent the land on which they farm. Telephone/video interviews revealed five overarching social themes: (1) the importance of community and social capital, (2) public perception and social license to operate, (3) lack of infrastructure, and (4) deep connections to personal lives. The final theme, mental health issues (5), reflected the consequences of the multiple sources of stress that can undermine the social sustainability of farmers, farm communities, and food production. These findings may help various audiences appreciate the multiple dimensions of sustainable food production; reflect on their values, perceptions, and actions with regard to agriculture; and enhance their compassion and empathy for all farmers.

Investigating the factors affecting farmers' intention to adopt contract farming.

Agricultural endeavors, especially in developing nations, entail inherent risks. Amidst challenges related to capital and agricultural marketing, contract farming emerges as a highly effective strategy. It not only facilitates capital accumulation but also ensures consistent product sales, establishes fair pricing, and contributes to the overall balanced development of the agricultural sector. This concern has been a longstanding global consideration, with Iran now addressing it. Recognizing the paramount importance of implementing contemporary agricultural methodologies, including contract farming, this research systematically investigates factors influencing farmers' intentions in Iran. A survey methodology is employed for systematic information collection from a statistical population of 98,777 farmers in rural Markazi Province, Iran. Using the Karjesi and Morgan table for sample size determination, a representative subset of 383 farmers is selected through stratified random sampling, ensuring proportional assignment within strata. A researcher-made questionnaire, validated by expert panels and confirmed for reliability through Cronbach's alpha coefficient, serves as the research instrument. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 27, and structural equation modeling was performed with SmartPLS4. The findings reveal that trust (0.528), awareness (0.332), and attitude (0.168), exert the most substantial causal influence on farmers' intention to embrace contract farming. Consequently, the research findings offer practical recommendations for the adoption of contract farming, providing valuable insights to policymakers and stakeholders for implementing targeted interventions aimed at boosting farmers' willingness to participate in contractual agreements.

Factors affecting highly pathogenic avian influenza vaccination practices at poultry farms in Tra Vinh, Vietnam.

Background: The increased number of cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) as a zoonosis has raised concerns in terms of poultry and human health. Farmers' preventive practices are an effective way of reducing zoonosis. However, this practice may have been affected by many factors, including production behaviors, awareness, and farmers' perceptions of farmers toward zoonosis. Aim: This study was conducted on 166 poultry farms in Tra Vinh Province with 14,894 poultry heads to determine the socioeconomic profiles and production characteristics of poultry farms and analyze the effect of these factors on HPAI vaccination practices. Methods: Respondents were selected from lists provided by government officers. Descriptive statistics were used to describe all variables, and factors affecting HPAI vaccination practices were analyzed using binary regression analysis. Results: The results showed that most farmers raised poultry with other livestock using the free-range method, which is a semi-intensive system. The primary objectives of poultry farming are meat sales and augmenting household consumption, with farmers primarily raising chicks produced on their farms. The implementation of the vaccine was less than 50% on the surveyed farms, with a small number of farmers administering an HPAI booster dose. However, only 6% of the farmers confirmed that their livestock had been exposed to HPAI. In addition, HPAI vaccination and booster dose practices significantly increased when farmers had 4-6 family members and received HPAI prevention training. Moreover, increased poultry numbers have led to increased vaccination rates and the implementation of booster doses for poultry. The study also reported that the vaccination rate decreased when poultry was used for household consumption. Conclusion: Sociodemographic characteristics and production behaviors can affect the implementation of HPAI vaccination on small poultry farms.

Work-Related Hazards and Perceived Confined-Space Health Risk : Understanding the Correlation with Mental Workload Among Farmers in Northern Thailand's Shallow Wells.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined factors related to perceived health risks in confined spaces (PCSHR) and their correlation with the mental workload among farmers managing agricultural wells in northern Thailand. METHODS: A cross-sectional, multi-stage sample of 356 farmers was selected from four rural districts' agricultural areas. Data were collected through interviews conducted from August to December 2022, using a self-administered structured questionnaire. The five-part questionnaire gathered demographic data, information on experiences and operations in agricultural wells, knowledge of confined spaces, PCSHR, and the six-dimension NASA Task Load Index (TLX) mental workload. Linear regression and multi-variable analyses were used to investigate factors associated with PCSHR, while Pearson correlations tested the association between PCSHR and mental workload variables. RESULTS: Most farmers were male (92.4%), worked in wells to install pumping systems (81.7%) and maintain equipment (73.3%), averaging 3.80 times per year, with an average duration of 25.81 minutes. Physical symptoms reported included difficulty breathing (72.8%), feeling swelteringly hot (55.9%), and sweating excessively (27.8%), as well as accidents such as being struck by falling soil or objects (20.2%), and falling into the well while climbing down (14.9%). Farmers' perceived risk scores were high when working while physically exhausted or unprepared and when assisting an unconscious worker without knowing the gas concentration. In addition, the maximal mental workload scores were mental demand and effort subscale. Factors significantly associated with PCSHR (adj.R2 = 60.6%, p < .05) encompassed education higher than lower secondary level, current alcohol consumption, smaller well width, assisted operations, number of physical symptoms experienced, absence of environmental accidents, and confined space knowledge, while increased PCSHR was positively associated with mental workload (Overall r = 0.711, p < .01). CONCLUSION: Comprehensive education about potential hazards can improve farmers' risk perception, potentially reducing mental workload and preventing fatal accidents. Field studies are recommended to develop community-specific work protocols and accurate measuring instruments suitable for rural settings are needed.

Qualitative Analysis Following the Delivery of a Farmer Lifestyle Program.

BACKGROUND: Irish farmers are adversely affected by noncommunicable diseases. Although there has been an increase in farmer health promotion activities in Ireland, farmers views on lifestyle programs are currently unknown. OBJECTIVES: To qualitatively analyze the impact of the previously mentioned 6-week physical activity and health education intervention on farmer health and to investigate how best to support this cohort moving forward. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted online (two interviews, three focus groups) with fourteen Irish farmers (53.5 ± 6.5 years) who completed the 6-week program in December 2019. Interviews and focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes. RESULTS: The main themes that emerged from this study were barriers, facilitators, and recommendations for lifestyle programs aimed to improve farmer health. Additional views on health and lifestyle behaviors were mentioned. Time of year was reported as the main barrier for farmers to engage in lifestyle programs. The key facilitators reported by farmers were the social health benefits obtained from the program and the farmer-specific nature of the program. Farmers suggested that physical activity and health education programs that are farmer-specific, delivered locally and catering for all fitness abilities should be more widely available to them. Although some farmers reported that they maintained the lifestyle behaviors they established during the initial 6-week program, follow-up supports are needed to encourage sustainable behavior change. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that are farmer-specific, community-based, and feasible within the context of available resources may be effective in improving farmer health. Working in partnership with organizations that support farmers has the potential to improve farmer health.

Workplace Sexual Harassment in Waged Agricultural Employment: A Literature Review.

Workplace sexual harassment (WSH) is a systemic problem in agricultural employment. In the United States, where most research on the topic has been conducted, studies have suggested the rate of WSH against women farmworkers may be as high as 95%. Women who are immigrants, younger, have precarious immigration status, and come from indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable to WSH. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the factors that contribute to such high rates of WSH in waged employment in the agricultural sector. To achieve this, we completed a systematic review of the empirical literature on sexual harassment in agricultural workplaces. Our review includes 29 empirical studies on WSH in agriculture, including 13 studies conducted in countries within the Global North and 16 from the Global South. The paper presents a typology of WSH in agriculture, categorizing its emotional and physical forms and describing what the literature reveals about its impacts on those who experience it. We then present our analysis of the structural and cultural factors contributing to high WSH rates in waged agricultural employment. We found that migration policies, the organizational and physical characteristics of agricultural work, the informality of employment relationships, traditional masculinity norms, and weak enforcement of workplace regulations were the principal factors facilitating high rates of WSH in agriculture. However, the study has limitations: it primarily focuses on literature in English and Spanish, risking geographical bias towards the Americas and potentially overlooking significant research in other languages or published in less accessible databases, including grey literature and regional reports. These limitations highlight the need for broader research to fill these empirical gaps, particularly from the Global South.

Precarious Work and Housing for Michigan Farmworkers During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

OBJECTIVES: Farmworkers in Michigan face precarious and exploitative labor conditions that affect their access to affordable, fair, and quality housing, which are key social determinants of health. We sought to assess the health, working conditions, and housing access, affordability, and quality of farmworkers living in and outside of employer-provided housing during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a mixed methods cross-sectional study in collaboration with community partners from the Michigan Farmworker Project and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. We assessed housing, labor conditions, and general health through in-depth phone interviews with seasonal, migrant, and H-2A farmworkers (n = 63) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) in Michigan. Descriptive analyses of these data included comparisons by type of farmworker and type of housing (employer-provided or other). RESULTS: The majority of farmworkers interviewed were women and seasonal farmworkers and spoke primarily Spanish. A significant share of farmworker participants reported living in poverty (38.3%) and had low or very low food security (27.0%). Nearly half of farmworkers (47.6%) rated their health as "fair" or "poor" during the year prior to the interview, and more than a third reported 3 or more chronic conditions (39.6%) and lack of health insurance coverage (38.7%). Among the 43 workers tested, 25.6% reported testing positive for COVID-19. Farmworkers reported experiences of objectification and dehumanization. Three-quarters of workers reported feeling that they were treated as less than human by supervisors and one-third reported verbal abuse. Farmworkers also experienced challenges exacerbated by their social vulnerability that impeded them from finding affordable, quality housing. Regarding housing quality, the majority of workers (80.6%) reported one or more environmental hazards around their residence, and about a third reported not having air conditioning (33.%) and lacking a functioning washing machine (33.9%). Concerns about the quality of drinking water accessible to workers and exposure to chemicals were shared by participants. CONCLUSION: This study adds valuable knowledge to the understanding of the systemic barriers to housing and work conditions for female and male seasonal, migrant, and H-2A farmworkers in Michigan. Shortcomings in the regulatory and policy environment result in precarious housing and work conditions, including exploitative labor practices. These conditions negate equality, fairness, and health equity, important tenants for public health.

Exploring the learning preferences of farmworker-serving community health workers.

Community health workers are responsible for finding, processing, and transferring health information to communities with limited access to health-related resources, including farmworkers. This paper is the culmination of an undergraduate student research project to explore the learning processes and preferences of farmworker-serving community health workers in the USA. The project was designed for students from farmworker or agricultural backgrounds at two North Carolina universities and was supported by a North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services workforce development grant. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, in person and virtually, with a convenience sample of 17 current and former community health workers. The interview data were analysed thematically and identified a preference for a combination of learning styles, with visual and hands-on learning being the most preferred. Community health workers also identified the importance of learning preferences in relation to their responsibilities as health educators. This study provides librarians, along with public health and medical professionals, with useful information about learning preferences to inform the creation of new and varied learning materials for community health workers.