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Using chiles and comics to address the physical and emotional wellbeing of farmworkers in Vermont’s borderlands

Author

Listed:
  • Teresa Mares

    (University of Vermont)

  • Naomi Wolcott-MacCausland

    (University of Vermont Extension, Bridges to Health)

  • Julia Doucet

    (Open Door Clinic)

  • Andy Kolovos

    (Vermont Folklife Center)

  • Marek Bennett

    (Comics Workshop)

Abstract

In Vermont, approximately 1000–1200 migrant workers from Latin America are helping to sustain the state’s dairy industry. These dairy workers, the majority of whom are from Mexico and Guatemala, experience significant mental health impacts stemming from a combination of stressors due to leaving their home of origin and challenges related to working in rural Vermont. This article employs a framework of structural violence and structural vulnerability to situate the lived experiences and health concerns of migrant farmworkers in Vermont’s dairy industry. It presents two case studies of applied projects that have been utilized to address these health concerns, a gardening project called Huertas that addresses issues of food insecurity and barriers in access to fresh and culturally familiar produce, and a participatory comics project called El Viaje Más Caro that aims to address mental health concerns through engaged storytelling and comics production. The authors of this article have designed and carried out these projects with the goal of interrupting the forms of structural violence and structural vulnerability that negatively impact the wellbeing of farmworkers in the state’s dairy industry. This article describes the successes and limitations of these projects with the hope they can be adapted and replicated for other farmworker communities facing similar health barriers.

Suggested Citation

  • Teresa Mares & Naomi Wolcott-MacCausland & Julia Doucet & Andy Kolovos & Marek Bennett, 2020. "Using chiles and comics to address the physical and emotional wellbeing of farmworkers in Vermont’s borderlands," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(1), pages 197-208, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:37:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s10460-019-09960-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-019-09960-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kandel, William, 2008. "Profile of Hired Farmworkers, A 2008 Update," Economic Research Report 56461, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, 2012. "Pushing the boundaries of indigeneity and agricultural knowledge: Oaxacan immigrant gardening in California," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 29(3), pages 381-392, September.
    3. Hoerster, K.D. & Mayer, J.A. & Gabbard, S. & Kronick, R.G. & Roesch, S.C. & Malcarne, V.L. & Zuniga, M.L., 2011. "Impact of individual-, environmental-, and policy-level factors on health care utilization among US farmworkers," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 101(4), pages 685-692.
    4. Parsons, Bob, 2010. "Vermont’s Dairy Sector: Is There a Sustainable Future for the 800 lb. Gorilla?," Opportunities for Agriculture Working Paper Series 201256, University of Vermont, Food Systems Spire of Excellence.
    5. Yoshie Sano & Steven Garasky & Kimberly Greder & Christine Cook & Dawn Browder, 2011. "Understanding Food Insecurity Among Latino Immigrant Families in Rural America," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 111-123, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Cynthia L. Curl & Lisa Meierotto & Rebecca L. Som Castellano, 2020. "Understanding Challenges to Well-Being among Latina FarmWorkers in Rural Idaho Using in an Interdisciplinary, Mixed-Methods Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Keller, Julie C. & Alishio-Caballero, Nuria, 2021. "Transnational health protection strategies and other health-seeking behavior among undocumented and indigenous dairy workers in a rural new immigrant destination," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).

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