Despite California’s globally significant agricultural economy, many agricultural communities face persistent social and economic challenges, including high levels of poverty, food insecurity, and educational and health disparities among farmers and farmworkers. Climate change is intensifying these inequities by increasing exposure to extreme heat, poor air quality, wildfire smoke, and dust. Building climate resilience across the agricultural workforce and communities is essential to enable people to safely adapt to, respond to, and recover from climate-driven impacts. This chapter examines how California is working to create a safer and healthier agricultural workforce by strengthening heat and climate safety policies, investing in research and technology, and expanding programs that protect workers’ physical and mental health.
Strategy 3.1 Enable a safer and healthier work experience for those in the agricultural industry.
- 3.1.1 Support state policies for better working conditions in a hotter, drier climate.
- 3.1.2 Support research and collaboration on tools for on-farm health and safety.
- 3.1.3 Support programs that provide mental health resources and training for all people working on farms.
- 3.1.4 Implement programs that build and improve infrastructure in rural agricultural communities to better support resilience to extreme weather events.