Farm Workers

Protection of the rights and dignity of farm labor is at the core of the concept of Fair Trade. Farm laborers work under some of the poorest conditions and receive some of the lowest wages of any workers in the United States. In additional, the seasonal nature of much farm work, the immigrant origin of many farm laborers and lack of federal protection of the right to organize make it especially difficult for farm workers to gain power in the workplace. The creation and certification of Domestic Fair Trade standards is one way to improve the conditions of farm workers through solidarity with consumers.

In order to amplify the voice of farm workers in the Domestic Fair Trade movement, LFTN is helping to create the first farm worker conference on Fair Trade (see below). In addition, we have involved farm workers at five farms in our region in the Agricultural Justice Project's Domestic Fair Trade pilot project. Farm workers, interns and people involved in farm labor organizations are invited to comment on the Domestic Fair Trade standards here.