“No matter how hot it is, you just have to do the work”: Examining farmworkers’ experiences with heat and climate change in Idaho
Introduction: Farmworkers are one of the populations most vulnerable to climate change. In addition to disproportionate exposure to climate-intensified hazards such as extreme heat and wildfire smoke, many farmworkers face situational and psychosocial stressors that also impact their health. Methods...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-03-01
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| Series: | The Journal of Climate Change and Health |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278224000038 |
| _version_ | 1797341465123225600 |
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| author | Carly Hyland Delmy Flores Grace Augusto Irene Ruiz Marielena Vega Rulon Wood |
| author_facet | Carly Hyland Delmy Flores Grace Augusto Irene Ruiz Marielena Vega Rulon Wood |
| author_sort | Carly Hyland |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Farmworkers are one of the populations most vulnerable to climate change. In addition to disproportionate exposure to climate-intensified hazards such as extreme heat and wildfire smoke, many farmworkers face situational and psychosocial stressors that also impact their health. Methods: We conducted open-ended interviews with 16 farmworkers in Southcentral Idaho during June-August 2023 as part of a digital storytelling project in partnership with the Idaho Organization of Resource Councils (IORC). Interviews assessed participants’ experiences with climate change, perceived impacts on their health, and strategies and barriers to protecting themselves. Bilingual (English/Spanish) study staff translated and transcribed all video recordings verbatim, and we abstracted representative quotes from interviews. Results: Participants primarily discussed the health impacts of heat, recounting personal experiences and stories of other farmworkers feeling dizzy, wanting to vomit, or passing out from occupational heat stress. Despite these experiences, they reported feeling like they needed to keep working regardless of the conditions in order to get paid and support their family. Experiences with climate change were underscored by participants’ discussions of co-exposure to situational and psychosocial stressors such as lack of access to healthcare, poor housing without air conditioning, and racism, discrimination, and fear of family separation. Discussion: This project highlights farmworkers’ first-hand experiences regarding climate change and underscores the interconnected impacts of occupational, environmental, and psychosocial stressors on their health and wellbeing. These findings emphasize the importance of shifting the burden of climate resiliency from individual farmworkers to systemic workplace, residential, and community interventions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:18:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-316123699d53410e9b2072620a71d0ab |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-2782 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:18:32Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Climate Change and Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-316123699d53410e9b2072620a71d0ab2024-01-28T04:21:56ZengElsevierThe Journal of Climate Change and Health2667-27822024-03-0116100300“No matter how hot it is, you just have to do the work”: Examining farmworkers’ experiences with heat and climate change in IdahoCarly Hyland0Delmy Flores1Grace Augusto2Irene Ruiz3Marielena Vega4Rulon Wood5Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; School of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, Boise, ID USA; Corresponding author at: Carly Hyland, 2121 Berkeley Way West, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA.School of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, Boise, ID USASchool of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, Boise, ID USAIdaho Organization of Resource Councils, Boise, ID USAIdaho Organization of Resource Councils, Boise, ID USADepartment of Theatre, Film, and Creative Writing, Boise State University, Boise, ID USAIntroduction: Farmworkers are one of the populations most vulnerable to climate change. In addition to disproportionate exposure to climate-intensified hazards such as extreme heat and wildfire smoke, many farmworkers face situational and psychosocial stressors that also impact their health. Methods: We conducted open-ended interviews with 16 farmworkers in Southcentral Idaho during June-August 2023 as part of a digital storytelling project in partnership with the Idaho Organization of Resource Councils (IORC). Interviews assessed participants’ experiences with climate change, perceived impacts on their health, and strategies and barriers to protecting themselves. Bilingual (English/Spanish) study staff translated and transcribed all video recordings verbatim, and we abstracted representative quotes from interviews. Results: Participants primarily discussed the health impacts of heat, recounting personal experiences and stories of other farmworkers feeling dizzy, wanting to vomit, or passing out from occupational heat stress. Despite these experiences, they reported feeling like they needed to keep working regardless of the conditions in order to get paid and support their family. Experiences with climate change were underscored by participants’ discussions of co-exposure to situational and psychosocial stressors such as lack of access to healthcare, poor housing without air conditioning, and racism, discrimination, and fear of family separation. Discussion: This project highlights farmworkers’ first-hand experiences regarding climate change and underscores the interconnected impacts of occupational, environmental, and psychosocial stressors on their health and wellbeing. These findings emphasize the importance of shifting the burden of climate resiliency from individual farmworkers to systemic workplace, residential, and community interventions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278224000038FarmworkerHeatWildfire smokeClimate changeEnvironmentDisparities |
| spellingShingle | Carly Hyland Delmy Flores Grace Augusto Irene Ruiz Marielena Vega Rulon Wood “No matter how hot it is, you just have to do the work”: Examining farmworkers’ experiences with heat and climate change in Idaho The Journal of Climate Change and Health Farmworker Heat Wildfire smoke Climate change Environment Disparities |
| title | “No matter how hot it is, you just have to do the work”: Examining farmworkers’ experiences with heat and climate change in Idaho |
| title_full | “No matter how hot it is, you just have to do the work”: Examining farmworkers’ experiences with heat and climate change in Idaho |
| title_fullStr | “No matter how hot it is, you just have to do the work”: Examining farmworkers’ experiences with heat and climate change in Idaho |
| title_full_unstemmed | “No matter how hot it is, you just have to do the work”: Examining farmworkers’ experiences with heat and climate change in Idaho |
| title_short | “No matter how hot it is, you just have to do the work”: Examining farmworkers’ experiences with heat and climate change in Idaho |
| title_sort | no matter how hot it is you just have to do the work examining farmworkers experiences with heat and climate change in idaho |
| topic | Farmworker Heat Wildfire smoke Climate change Environment Disparities |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278224000038 |
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