There are an estimated 70,000 farmworkers in North Carolina, and many of them come here on special H-2A worker visas. Despite the risks farmworkers have faced throughout the pandemic due to their living and working conditions, they have continued to travel to and throughout North Carolina harvesting the many crops the state depends on for its economy.
Learn more about farmworkers in North Carolina: Watch Harvest of Dignity
Some of the unique risks farmworkers face include:
- Large groups of migrant farmworkers often live together in shared housing.
- Many farmworkers spend 40+ hours on a bus before arriving to North Carolina.
- Farmworkers often have limited access to resources such as soap, hand sanitizer and other basic items.
- Many have limited access to health information such as the latest recommendations around COVID-19 prevention treatment.
NCFHP, as a program in the Office of Rural Health under NC DHHS, has partnered with agencies across the state to build a safety net for farmworkers during this particularly challenging time.