SANTA MARIA, Calif. — A new statewide report is shedding light on the growing need for higher wages for California farmworkers, pointing to serious impacts on health, financial stability, and family well-being.
The report, titled “Beyond the Cycle of Survival: Wages, Health, and Justice for Farmworkers,” was presented Wednesday morning in Santa Maria. Researchers and advocates say it underscores how low pay in the agricultural industry is forcing workers to make difficult and often harmful choices.
“There’s decades of public health research establishing a strong link between a person’s income and their health outcomes,” said Elana Muldavin, the project’s research director.
The study draws on interviews and focus groups with farmworkers across the state. Many participants described having to choose between basic necessities, such as food and medical care.
“People talked about making impossible tradeoffs, like choosing between going to the doctor or having something to eat,” Muldavin said. “This creates stress, anxiety, depression, and also affects children in farmworker families.”
According to the report, farmworkers in Santa Barbara County earn a median wage of just $17.90 per hour—far below what advocates say is needed to support a family.
“The agriculture industry thrives and profits immensely from the labor that farmworkers do,” said Cause 805 Associate Policy Director Erica Diaz. “But farm workers see very little of that reflected in their income.”
Diaz knows those challenges firsthand. She began working in the fields at just 12 years old.
“That’s a reality many farmworker families endure,” she said. “It’s been normalized that wages are so low it takes an entire family working just to survive.”
Now, Diaz is among those pushing for change. Advocates behind the report are calling for wages to increase to $26 per hour—what they describe as a more realistic “living wage.”
Researchers say higher pay would do more than just cover basic needs.
“Farmworkers told us higher wages would mean being able to afford housing, food, and medical care,” Muldavin said. “But it’s not just about survival—it’s about the ability to thrive.”
Community organizers say the report provides critical data to support policy changes at the state level.
“When we talk to decision-makers, they ask where the facts are coming from,” said Fernando Martinez, a community organizer with MICOP. “This report helps solidify the argument that farmworkers need a living wage.”
Advocates hope the findings will bring renewed attention to the challenges farmworkers face and spark meaningful policy changes across California.
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