In this season of plenty, it’s an important time to be aware of the folks who make food possible — farmworkers. From cultivating to harvesting, to washing and packaging, to farmers market sales, and delivering wholesale orders, it takes a dedicated effort to make local agriculture happen. So we checked in with Anita Adalja, Founder and Program Manager of Not Our Farm, a non-profit working daily to increase awareness of farmworkers’ rights and concerns, to tell us more about caring for folks as much as our food.
What is the mission of Not Our Farm?
Not Our Farm (NOF) is a non-profit farmworker storytelling project that strives to celebrate and share the stories of non-owning workers on farms. We aim to increase visibility around the challenges and abuses that happen on farms, regardless of the size, location, or reputation. NOF is building power among farmworkers by cultivating a virtual place of community in which farmworkers share their stories and skills, create resources, and form relationships with each other.
The farmworkers who are impacted by and benefit from our project are typically interns, apprentices, farm managers, crew members, and farm employees who have farmed on operations from one year up to fifteen years. They do not own farm businesses or own land. They are U.S. citizens, college educated with English as their first language, and primarily holding identities of Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Queer and Trans (BIPOCQT). Many in the Not Our Farm community are career farmworkers, and others are hoping to gain skills in agriculture to eventually start their own farm collectives or cooperatives.
We recognize that “farmworker” is a politicized term and status that is often used to represent migrant workers, immigrant workers, H2A workers, and Spanish first workers. NOF intentionally uses “farmworker” to express solidarity with the above groups and to bring attention to the fact that harm & abuse is happening to farmworkers regardless of the size, growing practices, or certifications of a farm, and regardless of the background of the workers a farm employs. We also use “farmworker” because “employee” implies safeguards that don’t exist for agricultural workers, due to federal exemptions and the racist foundations of agriculture in the United States.
How does this mission play out in the lives of farmworkers and those who eat food handled by farmworkers?
NOF builds power by centering farmworkers in all areas of our work. We are farmworkers and we create resources for farmworkers. We knowledge-share in safe spaces that allow for open dialogue, questions, and relaying lived experiences with the hopes of creating better farming futures. Farmworkers amplify NOF’s collective mission of creating worker-centered farming futures through their lived experiences and deep understanding of what is needed for the future of farming. Our work departs from the top-down, hierarchical approach to information, education, and skill sharing.
We employ strategies that allow us to be nimble and meet the needs of workers as they are identified. For example, in 2023 during the fires in New York, based on multiple requests from farms, we crowdsourced information from our network to create a resource about farm working during fire and smoke, which was then utilized by our community. Additionally, when OSHA released its proposed heat illness and injury rule last summer, we quickly organized several focus groups around the country to work directly with farmworkers to create a collective comment to submit into the OSHA register.
We consider our work to be cultural organizing. We counter the narrative that the average American farmer is a white, cis man who owns his farm and land, comes from generational wealth, employs an “out of sight / out of mind” workforce, and is heralded as a hero. We believe that farming in this country is not accessible to everyone, and can be unsafe, specifically for 2SLGBTQ+ and BIPOC people. Those who do work on farms and are non-owners often face severe exploitation, oppression, and abuse. NOF is working in a holistic approach to justice by raising awareness of who farmers really are, the abuses they endure, and sharing solutions for safe and worker-centered farming futures.
What are some of the major issues that you hear over and over again in the experiences of farmworkers?
Many of the farms are not subject to FDA rules and regulations regarding food safety, which would ensure that there is access to clean and safe bathrooms, handwashing stations, sick times and break areas to eat. In addition, due to the small nature of these businesses, many of the farms are also exempt from OSHA safe employment standards, so workers are regularly in very hazardous, unsafe situations at their places of work.
NOF seeks to serve this population of workers who are often not safeguarded by any federal regulations, who haven’t had spaces or organizations supporting their unique farmworker needs, and who are often unsafe in farming operations based on the identities that they hold as BIPOC, Queer or Trans.
What concerns are flying under the radar of most eaters, even consumers who purchase food with a values-based approach?
Concerns flying under the radar are best expressed by a farmworker we interviewed who said:
“There is a very real false illusion within people who consider themselves well versed on food and are really pro small farms. They think they (small farms) are some little safe haven and ideal eden, and that these problems only exist on large mono crop farms like 1000 acre farms in Florida… It’s hard to communicate to customers, no it happens to everyone.”
Not Our Farm works to educate consumers that violations and abuse are happening on farms across the country no matter the size, location, scale, for-profit or non-profit. There are distinct abuses and challenges different farmworkers face, however, we are here to say that because of the racist and genocidal foundation of agriculture in this country (which led to the agricultural industry not being regulated or safe guarded in the same way as other businesses), severe exploitation and abuse is happening on more farms than you think, even perhaps your favorite farmers’ market farm. We encourage consumers to check our Labor and your Local Produce resource that was created through focus groups with 40 BIPOC farmworkers from across the country. It includes questions consumers can ask at the farmers’ market or before subscribing to a CSA to ensure they are supporting a worker- centered farm.
What are the joys of working in the field?
There are countless joys to working in the field! When we speak with farmworkers we always ask the question of “What keeps you coming back to farming?” The answers are always unique and powerful. We each have our own personal connection to the land and the practice of farming whether it be witnessing a plant grow from seed to harvest, the ability to move our body and rise with the sun, learning technical and tangible skills and constantly problem solving, nourishing our communities. My favorite part of working on farms is the relationships I have made with my fellow crewmembers over the years. The relationships created are so unique and special to me. These relationships often feel like they transcend other types of relationships like family, coworker, partner. We physically depend on each other day in day out on the farm and build so much together in a season. These are truly unbreakable bonds and I’m so grateful for everyone I have had the opportunity to farm alongside.
What is one action item farm owners should have on their list this summer to improve employee experience and job satisfaction?
I encourage farm owners to have regular check-ins with their farm crew. We have interviewed nearly 150 farmworkers across the country and held focus groups and surveys about what workers value in a farm job and communication always ranks in the top 4. Farmworkers are the heart of the operation and deserve respect and dignified working conditions and opportunities to share their experiences and opinions. It truly strengthens the operation and the team. You won’t regret it! I also encourage farm bosses to check our toolkit called Farming into the Future by Centering Farmworkers. It is a deep dive into what farmworkers value in a workplace and lots of case studies of farms across the country who are meeting the needs of their crews in unique and replicable ways.
How can folks learn more about your mission and resources?
Folks can visit our website www.notourfarm.org to learn more about our work and read farmworker interviews. Our website also has all of our resources available to download for free or order a printed copy. We also have an instagram page @notourfarm and a newsletter that you can sign up for here.