According to the USDA, between 2020 and 2022, approximately 68% of American farm workers were immigrants (7% had obtained U.S. citizenship, 19% were other authorized immigrants like green card holders, and 42% held no work authorization).
That huge majority of the agricultural workforce faces a number of challenges when it comes to their health, safety, and human rights.
Fortunately, organizations — like the Migrant Clinician Network — help folks navigate those challenges with creativity and compassion.
MCN has been in operation for 40 years, offering case management to migrant farm workers, training healthcare workers to support this community, and improving worker health outcomes through education and outreach.
One initiative includes creating educational materials that help workers know about occupational, climate, and health hazards, like heat, pesticides, wildfires, and infectious diseases like avian influenza.
The latest installment of MCN’s comic books, helping migrant workers navigate the healthcare system. Photo courtesy of MCN
With language and communication barriers, these materials also need to be delivered in an engaging, easy-to-translate method. So, MCN created a series of comic books.
Some titles include “Clear The Air! Protect Your Health From Bad Air,” or “Safety and Health on the Farm: It’s Your Right and It’s the Law.”
Presented in both English and Spanish, these comic books contain clear illustrations, facts, and protective measures to help farm workers prioritize their health and safety.
And they’re only one piece of the larger, holistic efforts of MCN.
“MCN has developed a number of patient education materials and training programs for community health workers to educate workers about their rights, workplace hazards, and ways to stay safe on the job,” the organization’s website shares.
“MCN also implements community health worker programs to train farmworkers about the risks from pesticide exposure and ways to protect themselves and their families. MCN distributes thousands of resources each year.”
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A version of this article was originally published in The 2025 Food Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
Header image courtesy of Migrant Clinician Network
