77 research outputs found
J Agromedicine
No full textFarmers are growing older, and fewer new agriculturists are rising to take their place. Concurrently, women and minorities are entering agriculture at an increasing rate. These rates are particularly curious viewed in light of the racialized and gendered nature of agriculture. Slavery and agriculture share strong historical roots, with many male slaves performing agricultural labor. So then, why would African American women choose to engage in agriculture in any form? Participant observation and in-depth interviews with a group of African American women urban farmers in the southeastern United States were asked this question. Interviews with seven such women revealed their perception of self-sustainable small-scale agriculture as a departure from, not return to, slavery. The women drew metaphors between the Earth and femininity, believing their work to be uniquely feminine. Production of food for consumption and trade provides a source for community and healthy food amid urban poverty and the plight of food deserts. These data encourage agricultural health and safety professionals and researchers to tackle the health-promoting nature of such work, with the entr\ue9e of anthropology and other social sciences into the field. In many ways, these women portrayed small-scale food cultivation as an important component of, rather than a threat to, health and safety. Indeed, they viewed such labor as wholly health promoting. Their strong social connections provide a potential means for community-led dissemination of any relevant health and safety information.U54 OH009568/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/U54OH009568/ACL/ACL HHSUnited States
Pastoralist Ethic and a "Spirit" of Traditionalism: US Cowboys' Livestock, Land, and Kin
No full textWhat kind of ethical subjects are contemporary US cowboys, or any other keepers of livestock for that matter? Moreover, how are those ethics distinctly representative of the US or its western region and its residents’ sense of character? These questions are particularly relevant to herders enveloped in folk and nationalist mythology, of these the US cowboy is one of the most popular examples. After twenty years of combined experience in ranching, farming, and rodeo as well as more than twelve months of formal ethnographic fieldwork – I submit this report: If cowboys and other herders are any sort of ethical subject, it is as pastoralists – as husbanders to livestock, stewards of land, and the caretakers of kin; and if US cowboys are a particular kind of pastoralist (as ethical subjects), the specificities are established through the practice and rhetoric of regionally identifiable traditionalism. Simply put, if cowboys are virtuous people, it is through their care for animals, land, and family; and if US cowboys are special types of role models, it is because they possess certain characteristics and ambitions that fulfill regionalized cultural categories. This ethnography and the theorizations therein abide by James Faubion’s recent re-presentation of Michel Foucault’s system of ethical inquiry. In doing so, it reveals the complex subject position pastoralists often strive to fulfill. While designed to stand as a case study in an emerging anthropology of ethics, this dissertation does offer corrective insight into theories of pastoralism, traditionalism, and the American West
J Agromedicine
No full textPurpose:Rates of organic farms and women organic farmers are increasing. Yet, this recent surge brings new and uncertain challenges for injury epidemiology. Since many in the population are of child-bearing age, and child agricultural injury is a significant threat, of particular relevance are the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs towards risk of child injury.Methods:A paper, self-administered 11-question questionnaire was distributed at four events geared towards early career women organic farmers. The questionnaire generated data around select demographics, attitudes towards farm safety, and sources of safety knowledge.Findings & Discussion:The questionnaire had a 45% response rate. As expected, most respondents were new to farming (1\u20133 years\u2019 experience as a primary owner/operator), and 47% reported having a child under the age of 18 years work on the farm. While respondents recognized farms were generally unsafe for children, they reported their own farm as safe for children. Preferred sources of safety knowledge were those with user-generated content from other farmers.Conclusion:Interventions with new women organic farmers in the Midwest are likely to be most effective by incorporating social media, networking with area farmers\u2019 groups, and addressing the optimism bias. Information not explicitly marketed as safety information may gain traction. A more complete analysis of risk, incidence, and prevalence of this niche population is important.U54 OH009568/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/U54OH009568/ACL/ACL HHSUnited States
J Agromedicine
No full textSocial media use in public health and other health related research applications has seen a rapid increase in recent years. However, there has been very limited utilization of this growing digital sector in agricultural injury research. Social media offers immense potential in gathering informal data, both text and images, converting them into knowledge, which can open up avenues for research, policy, and practice. There are a number of ways social media data can be utilized in agricultural injury research. This paper touches on the adoption of these data sources in health research and discusses the use of social media as an exploratory research tool that can peer into and identify the edges of potential health and safety problems.U54 OH009568/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States
J Agromedicine
No full textThe future of agricultural work in the United States (U.S.) must account for at least two important trends: 1) the persistence of the industry being riddled with high rates of injury and illness and 2) the growing proportion of hired farmworkers compared to family farmworkers working in these dangerous environments. These workers confront structural disadvantages that impede social justice and prosperity. Social structures like policies, economic systems, institutions, and social hierarchies create health disparities, often along the lines of social categories. The result is an already dangerous industry with vulnerable workers facing unjust risks, especially those that are undocumented. Agricultural health and safety professionals and other stakeholders should engage structural competency curricula in order to increase awareness of impact of structures and be better positioned to improve farmworker health and wellbeing. Similar work has been successful in the training healthcare professionals, e.g. the Structural Competency Working Group (SCWG). New strategies are needed to improve farmworker wellbeing and retain an adequate agricultural workforce. A greater understanding of the social and structural concerns that farmworkers face is an important step towards occupational and social justice. It is also clear that it will require collaboration and community-based efforts creating a larger team of people using similar concepts related to the structural influences on whether health and wellbeing are distributed equitably. This work is being moved forward in healthcare, social work, worker organizations, and community-based initiatives. Agricultural health and safety professionals have a vital contribution to make if they join the ranks.U54 OH010162/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States
J Agromedicine
No full textIn the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers and farm workers have been deemed essential workers across the world. Yet, despite working in one of the most dangerous occupations, and despite being especially vulnerable to the virus (due to existing health risk factors and risk of infection stemming from difficulties adopting control measures), many farmers and farm workers in the United States have long lacked essential resources to ensure they can meet their health needs: affordable and accessible health insurance and health care. In this commentary, we draw on our own research focused on farm families and collective experiences to discuss three main challenges farm families have faced meeting their health needs: reliance on off-farm work for health insurance coverage, the need to forecast income when purchasing a plan on the health insurance marketplace, and barriers to health care in rural areas. As we discuss these challenges, we highlight the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic is likely exacerbating these pressures. Recognizing that major crises in the past have led to major shifts in economic, social, and political systems, the disruptions brought on by COVID-19 could be leveraged to work toward increasing access to affordable and adequate health insurance and health care. As such, we conclude our commentary by outlining policy reforms and research efforts that are needed to ensure that those working in the farm sector have access to essential resources to preserve their health and safety.U54 OH009568/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States
J Agromedicine
No full textGastrointestinal (GI) disorders are a major public health burden in the United States. Due to close contact with animals, farmers may be a high risk subgroup for acute GI infections, though some studies suggest farm work is actually protective against GI illness. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between dairy farm work and GI symptoms over 3\u2009years. A prospective, matched cohort study was used that included 70 adult dairy farm workers and 74 matched (age, gender, ZIP code) non-farm participants from central Wisconsin. The outcome was mean GI symptom scores for abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, dyspepsia, nausea, and reflux, per the 23-item Gastrointestinal Symptoms Severity Index (GISSI). After adjustment for potential confounding variables, linear regression results indicated dairy farm workers had significantly lower GISSI scores for abdominal pain (mean\ub1SE\u2009=\u20094.3\u2009\ub1\u20091.1 dairy vs. 7.6\u2009\ub1\u20091.1 non-farm, |\u2009=\u2009.047), diarrhea (3.2\u2009\ub1\u20091.0 dairy vs. 7.0\u2009\ub1\u20091.0 non-farm, |\u2009=\u2009.010), constipation (2.0\u2009\ub1\u20090.8 dairy vs. 6.6\u2009\ub1\u20090.8 non-farm, |\u2009<\u2009.001), and dyspepsia (2.0\u2009\ub1\u20090.6 dairy vs. 3.9\u2009\ub1\u20090.5 non-farm, |\u2009=\u2009.026). Working on a dairy farm was associated with significantly less frequent and severe GI illness symptoms in adults. Future research should identify underlying causal pathways, including possible farm animal exposures, that influence beneficial gut microbiota that could inform therapeutic remedies to help prevent clinical GI disorders.R01 OH011578/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States
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