Mar 28, 2023

EFI highlights video series about farmworkers

Equitable Foods Initiative (EFI), the multi-stakeholder workforce development and certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers, retailers, and consumer groups, has announced the development and release of a two video series, A Day in the Life of a Farmworker.

The release of the videos coincides with the March 25-31 Farmworker Awareness Week.

The concept was developed and implemented by EFI’s leadership team committee, which advises the EFI board of directors and is made up of farmworkers and managers from EFI-certified farms. The committee worked with their farming operations and coworkers to develop the video series to educate and raise awareness of the realities of being a farmworker, according to a news release.

Each video depicts a typical day of the featured farmworkers, their challenges, triumphs, and personal motivations. The first video in the series follows a single mother and strawberry harvester in California, and the second video features a married couple who both work as quality control reviewers at a strawberry farm in Mexico. The series is designed to highlight some of the special challenges farmworkers face as well as the benefits they’ve experienced working on EFI- certified farms.

The video production was led by workers at growing operations for Andrew & William Fresh Produce/GoodFarms. “We understand the power of bringing the workers’ voices and real-life stories directly to our customers and consumers,” Amalia Lommel, director of social responsibility for GoodFarms, said in the release. “We love seeing this kind of initiative and collaboration from our workers and are always delighted to help highlight the skills and essential work they do every day.”

The workers involved in the video series included:

• Carlos Alberto Lazaro, harvester – videographer and interviewer
• Juan Gutierrez Lopez, H2A harvester machine operator
• Yesica Angeles Guzman, harvester at Buenaventura Ranch – interviewee
• Maria Sáenz Ruiz, quality control assistant
• Cuauhtémoc Palacios Sánchez, quality control review
• Ana Eugenio Dolores, quality control review

“Members of the leadership team committee wanted to bring their own stories of their daily lives to consumers and retail buyers in hopes that more people would understand their struggles, value their skills and support their work with the EFI certification program,” Alice Linsmeier, organizational and workforce development manager for EFI who works with the leadership team committee, said in the release.

“It was inspiring to work closely with the worker-led video teams at each ranch to develop and capture the stories they felt most compelling,” Linsmeier said in the release.

For other grower shippers interested in highlighting farmworkers and showcasing the rich stories of the men and women who grow, harvest and pack our food, they can join EFI in promoting National Farmworker Awareness Week by accessing the free communications toolkit, which includes ready-to-use graphics, logos, hashtags and messages. Participants are encouraged to create their own graphics from the easily customizable templates, as well as promote their organization, business or industry and tell their unique story.

EFI works with 22 grower-shipper companies on more than 60 farming operations. Through the EFI program, more than 4,000 farmworkers and managers have been trained in problem-solving, communication and conflict resolution practices that are improving labor, food safety and pest management standards for more than 55,000 workers.