Ag Worker Health, Housing – agricultural workers in California – Brief Article
* Representatives of Mexico and California and the California Endowment have met to pursue strategies to address the health needs of California’s agricultural workers. The Endowment announced that more than $16 million in grants will be made to organizations to provide better health education, more health coverage and better access to health care services. The grants are the first in a five-year, $50 million farm worker health program announced by Gov. Grey Davis and Mexico’s President Vicente Fox. For more information, visit the California Endowment Web site, calendow.org.
Also, according to a press release, the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association (NVGGA) and the Napa County Farm Bureau (NCFB), along with the Napa Valley Vintners Association and the Napa Valley Housing Authority (NVHA), are contributing over $24,000 in funds for a study that will determine farmworker housing needs in Napa County.
Dr. Philip Martin of the UC Davis Department of Ag and Resource Economics will conduct a survey for Napa County to determine how many farmworkers are employed in Napa County, how much housing is available for them, and if and how much additional housing is needed. A final report of the survey is scheduled for December.
Each year during harvest, an estimated 2,000 migrant workers come to the Napa Valley to help harvest the crop. The NVHA estimates that approximately 300 additional beds are needed for migrant workers over the next five to seven years.
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