Bibliography

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Books:

Rothenberg, Daniel. With These Hands: The Hidden World of Migrant

Farmworkers Today. Los Angeles : University of California Press, 1998.

The author, Daniel Rothenberg, an assistant professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan , combines statistical information gathered from academic studies, journalistic exposes, government reports and Congressional hearings about the current situation of migrant farm workers in the United States with personal histories of farm workers, growers, union organizers, coyotes, etc. He uses this format to give an accurate depiction of the agricultural system in this country and show the complexities of this system. The book demonstrates that farm workers and their families live difficult lives with many hardships and obstacles to overcome such as legal, racial, cultural, linguistic, and educational discrimination.

Thompson, Charles, and Wiggins, Melinda. The Human Cost of Food. Austin, TX: UT

Press, 2002.

• Relevant chapter for healthcare: The Struggle for Health in Times of Plenty. By Colin Austin

1) Austin highlights many important issues faced by migrant farm workers. These issues include exposure to pesticides, poor hygienic conditions, lack of sanitation, exposure to harsh climates, lack of health insurance, inability to access available services for care, ineligibility of migrant worker children to access care provided by the government, and lack of services that tend to language and cultural barriers faced by migrant workers and their children. This chapter also addresses the impact of Proposition 187 on health care and the affect this law had on the willingness of migrant workers to seek out health care. Austin stresses the importance of outreach programs in communities and the need for community health care programs that provide cultural sensitivity when treating migrant workers and their families.

2) This book, edited by Charles Thompson and Melinda Wiggins, is a compilation of chapters, each written by a different author, ranging from those discussing the situation of migrant students to those discussing the contributions of Chavez to the rights and liberties of migrant farm workers. These chapters include statistical and analytical information gathered from academic studies, journalistic exposes, government reports and Congressional hearings about the current situation of migrant farm workers in the United States . Each chapter presents the reader with the realities of the migrant farm worker situation as well as a glimpse into the history and the path that led the situation to where it is today.

Articles, etc:

Chivira-Prado, Alicia. “Work, Health, and the Family: Gender Structure and Women's

Status in an Undocumented Migrant Population.” Human Organization : Vol 51

No. 1. Society for Applied Anthropology, 1992.

Chivira-Prado discusses how the work and health conditions faced by migrant workers reflect the low economic status and social marginality of undocumented families. The higher risk for injury experienced by migrant farm workers is due to poor working conditions. This is an important observation made in the article because illness and disabling injuries cause additional problems for migrant workers due to their lack of health insurance. This article also explores how poor living conditions and stressful family life affect the health status of migrant workers and their families. Chivira-Prado highlights specific health problems experienced by migrant workers, such as skin reactions to pesticides, gastrointestinal and respiratory conditions, and ear, nose, and throat infections. This article also highlights specific issues faced by female migrant workers and migrant children. This view is important because Chivira-Prado discovered that even migrant worker children who do not work in the fields have shown signs of illness related to indirect exposure to pesticides.

Farr, K.A. & Wilson-Figueroa, M. “Talking About Health and Health Care: Experiences and

Perspectives of Latina Women in a Farmworking Community.” Women & Health : Vol 25

No. 2. The Haworth Press, Inc., 1997.

Farr discussed health disparities related to the Latino population and specific diseases that affect this population in comparison to non-Latino whites. Migrant workers specifically faced higher incidences of illness due to poverty and a lack of access to health care. In addition to poverty, most farm workers face damp and over-crowded housing. These conditions contribute to the development of infectious diseases. This article highlights specific health disparities related to migrant worker women, such as high miscarriage and stillbirth rates due to a lack of prenatal care. Farr also discusses how isolation adds to the burden of health care, which includes lack of transportation and child care, inconvenient service hours, long waits, and a loss of pay for time off. Finally, this article also stresses the importance of community inclusive health care that includes awareness among migrant farm worker communities.

Martinez , Yolanda, Scott Jr, John, Cranston-Gingras, Ann , & Platt, John S. . “Voices from the Field-Interviews with

Students from Migrant Farmworker Families.” The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority

Students . Winter 1994: pp 333-348.

This article, collectively written by four professors working at three south Florida universities, is an examination into the effects of a migrant status being placed upon students who are only migrant as a result of their parent's profession. These professors used a compilation of articles dealing with farm workers, self-esteem, education, adolescence etc. The article focuses on children and how their nomadic nature negatively affects their education in a myriad of ways. Not only that, it also evaluates the effects that a migrant status can have on the self-esteem of those students, which can lead to somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy with regards to the educational opportunities for migrant children.

Perfecto I, Velásquez B. "Farm workers: among the least protected" EPA J 18(1): 13-14

Perfecto discusses the serious health hazards that affect migrant farm workers and their families due to the use of pesticides in agriculture. This article discusses how the pesticides used for agricultural business disproportionately affect farm workers. The main issue faced by migrant workers is their exclusion from the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which sets standards for exposure to toxic substances in the work place. Due to the exclusion of migrant workers, they are forced to petition to the EPA and this causes many legal issues to arise for farm workers. It is not uncommon for farmers to spray pesticides while workers are in the field, thus directly exposing them to toxic substances. Exposure to pesticides causes respiratory problems, skin irritation, and nose, throat, and ear problems. Perfecto stresses the importance of community awareness and involvement of consumers in altering the current legal policies for agricultural business in order to make working conditions safer and reduce illnesses related to exposure to toxic substances for migrant workers.

Web Sites:

Migrant Health Promotion, Farmworkers in the United States. 2005 [cited 16 December 2005]. Available from

World Wide Web: <http://migranthealth.org/farmworker_communities/farmworkers_in_us.php#5 >

This site discusses federally funded programs available to migrant workers and their families. Since 1962 Migrant Health and Community Centers have provided services to farm workers; however, only a small percentage (15-20%) of migrant workers use these provided services. Another issue addressed is the inability for health care providers to provide continual and follow-up care due to the relocation of migrant farm workers several times each year. This site also discusses the problems farm workers face in regards to accessing care. These limitations to care include lack of transportation, language and cultural barriers, and risk of losing their job due to seeking medical care. This website explains that many times migrant workers delay seeking care until an injury or illness becomes unbearable or it interferes with work, which usually causes more difficulties for migrant workers and their families.

Migrant Clinicians Network. Introduction to Migrant Issues. 2005 [cited 16 December 2005]. Available from World

Wide Web: <http://www.migrantclinician.org/migrant_info/ >

This site provides insight into the current difficulties faced by migrant farm workers. For example, migrant workers are faced with job related hazards, a mobile lifestyle, economic insecurity, language barriers, and prejudice from outside world. This site also discusses the social isolation experienced by migrant workers, health disparities, insufficient housing, and unsanitary living conditions. Migrant workers face dangerous working conditions for low pay; these conditions increase injury and solidify the claim that migrant farm work has the third highest rate of occupational injury in the United States. Migrant workers are an integral part to society because of their ability to provide low cost labor for a high demand market. This site discusses how migrant workers continue to form the bottom rung of society while society as America currently knows it would be adversely affected if migrant workers and their families did not provide farming services.

Migrant Clinicians Network. Migrant Health Issues . 2005 [cited 16 December 2005]. Available from World Wide

Web: <http://www.migrantclinician.org/migrant_info/health_problems.php >

This site stresses that living and health conditions experienced by migrant workers and their families are similar to those faced by the poor and recent immigrants. Many illnesses experienced by farm workers are a result of poor nutrition, lack of resources to seek care for illness, and rapid spread of infection due to overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions. The site also discusses how migrant workers and their families experience higher rates of illnesses and more severe forms of illness in comparison to the majority of people in the United States. A couple of health issues are highlighted as affecting migrant workers in greater numbers when compared to the rest of the population; for example, farm workers experience higher incidences of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and asthma. Wives of migrant farm workers and female farm workers also experience higher rates of premature births, preeclampsia, and other complications related to birthing. Overall this article focuses on health disparities experienced by migrant farm workers and highlights possible causes for these illnesses.

Food Security Learning Center, The Growth of Agribusiness and the Market for Farm Labor. 2005 [cited 16

December 2005]. Available from World Wide Web:

<http://www.worldhungeryear.org/fslc/faqs/ria_010.asp?section=11&click=1>

This site discusses the growth of agribusiness and the market for farm labor. The purpose of this site is to explore how migrant workers became a necessity to agriculture in the United States. The U.S. became dependent on migrant workers because of a huge demand for a large, mobile, non-landowning, low-wage labor poor. Advanced technology led to the use of high tech equipment for speeding up the farming process; however, machines cannot harvest many crops because the produce is fragile and bruises easily. Agriculture became a job for those who would accept low pay, which usually includes minorities, recent immigrants and the most financially oppressed. This site stresses that even though migrant farm workers may not be as visible in society they are still a very integral part of agriculture in the United States and without them the produce market would drastically change in this country. This site also provided statistics related to migrant workers and their families, which gives an appropriate insight into the effect and influence migrant farm workers have on the agricultural business of this country. The statistics are located on the Frequently Asked Questions portion of the website and is available from the World Wide Web: <http://www.worldhungeryear.org/fslc/faqs/ria_004_full.asp?section=11&click=8>.