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Voices of Farmworkers |
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The Washington State Farmworker Survey Agricultural production contributes $6.4 billion per year to Washington State’s economy, with over one third of the state’s crops intended for the export market. Washington’s farmers face growing competition domestically for labor and globally for price and market. As many as 187,000 farmworkers are employed in the state, playing an indispensable role in the agricultural economy. The seasonal nature of agricultural employment, however, provides these workers with limited resources for securing housing and addressing other needs. Many growers have extended the work season through innovation and new crop varieties, yet the lack of safe, affordable housing for farmworkers is increasingly a key issue in attracting and retaining skilled workers that help sustain our agricultural bounty. Over the course of the 2006 growing season 2,845 one-on-one interviews were conducted in the 14 principal agricultural counties that employ 95% of Washington’s farmworkers. This is the largest direct survey of farmworkers undertaken in Washington State history and the survey interviews included questions about household composition, work history, income, housing conditions, access to health care, community engagement and use of public services The importance of adequate affordable housing for the agricultural workforce is revealed by this survey finding: Although half of the survey respondents are uncertain how much longer they will continue working in agriculture or plan to find other employment within a year, 91% said that more and better housing would encourage them to continue working in Washington agriculture. The results of this survey will guide the work of the Trust and its many partners to address the housing and related needs of farmworkers and their families. It is also intended to better inform public policy decisions affecting the lives of those whose labors sustain the state’s agricultural economy. |
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Washington State Farmworker Housing Trust copyright (c) 2006 |
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