More than 500,000 California farmworkers play a critical role in providing Americans with the food that nourishes and sustains their health. Yet, for those workers, their own health is too often in jeopardy.

The hazards present in farmwork — from exposure to the elements and harmful chemicals to the physical demands of picking and cutting crops — are aggravated by shortfalls in health coverage, delivery and workplace safety systems. As a result, farmworkers often go without the care they need, enduring injury and illness that might otherwise be prevented.

California’s agricultural industry has always depended on immigrant labor, whether those migrants were from other U.S. states, Asia or Mexico. Ninety percent of California’s farmworkers are immigrants, and more than half are undocumented. Many California farmworkers are indigenous laborers from Mexico for whom Spanish is not their primary language. For these workers, linguistic and cultural differences add another challenge to receiving adequate health care. 

Journalists David Bacon and Pilar Marrero traveled to the communities where California farmworkers work and live to document the health care conditions they face. From their reporting, we provide a from-the-fields perspective through six stories: