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Conclusions: An Updated Agenda for Farmworker Social Justice in the Eastern United States

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Latinx Farmworkers in the Eastern United States

Abstract

Improving health and safety and achieving social justice for Latinx farmworkers in the eastern United States will require continued research and advocacy to change a variety of policies that regulate farmwork and the lives of farmworkers. This chapter summarizes four themes common across the chapters of the book: (1) since 2009, changes have occurred in both the context for farmwork and the composition of the Latinx workforce; (2) information to thoroughly document farmworker health and safety remains inadequate; (3) the changes of the past decade and the limited available information provoke grave concerns about farmworker health and justice; and (4) the deficits in farmworker health and failure to achieve farm labor justice result largely from agricultural labor policy. An agenda for farmworker social justice is presented. Social justice for farmworkers will require systemic changes in policy and regulation for labor, housing, pesticide safety, health care, wages, and immigration.

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Arcury, T.A., Quandt, S.A. (2020). Conclusions: An Updated Agenda for Farmworker Social Justice in the Eastern United States. In: Arcury, T., Quandt, S. (eds) Latinx Farmworkers in the Eastern United States. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36643-8_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36643-8_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-36642-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-36643-8

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