Vermont prides itself on being a national role model in developing innovative models for community-supported, ecologically responsible agricultural practices. However, Vermont's largest sector of agriculture, the dairy industry, has increasingly relied on Latinx* migrant farm laborers who face significant challenges. Due to a lack of a year-round agricultural visa program, most farmworkers on Vermont's dairy farms are unable to receive proper documentation. This circumstance has a significant impact on migrant workers, particularly those living and working closer to the border, as those areas fall within federal jurisdiction of US immigration enforcement. In these borderlands, surveillance is intensified and so the pressure to be invisible is heightened. The current availability of agricultural visas is limited to seasonal migrant farmworkers, and because dairy is year-round work, farmworkers in the dairy industry are barred from accessing proper documentation. Increased patrolling along the northern border results in extreme isolation, fear, and the inability to access basic human rights. For migrant workers on Vermont's dairy farms, just taking a trip to the grocery store is to risk deportation. This thesis examines systemic barriers, complex relationships, and resilient responses of Vermont's farmworkers, drawing upon applied, mixed methods. The first article uses ethnography to examine food access and food sovereignty through Huertas, an applied garden project in northern VT. The second article analyzes the methodologies connected to El Viaje Más Caro/The Most Costly Journey, an applied cartooning project that shares farmworker stories with other migrant farmworkers as a tool to break cycles of isolation and relieve psychological distress. Both projects illustrate resilient responses to the barriers associated with being undocumented along the Northern border. While the thesis is based on research conducted in Vermont, the significance is broader in scope, and representative of national and international trends. The food system is built upon those who are continually stripped of and denied rights. While this is about Vermont, it is not only about Vermont: these stories are symptomatic of a larger structural violence. This thesis situates itself in a multi-scalar context-Vermont, the US, international- in which the stories conveyed are indicative of political and economic systemic obstacles, and the potential for human creativity to subvert and respond to systems of oppression. *I use the term "Latinx" throughout my thesis because it is a gender-neutral alternative to Latino, Latina and even Latin@. It is pronounced "La-teen-ex". This is a term that has been introduced by the trans/queer community, but is increasingly being adopted by scholars, activists, journalists, and social media. (Ramirez & Blay, 2016)

There are over 3 million seasonal and migrant farmworkers in the U.S. agricultural industry with a significant percentage of farmworkers documented or native to the United States. Migrant farmworkers live below the federal poverty levels at high rates and experience low health care access and utilization. Guided by the fundamental cause theory, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of migrant farmworkers and identify the factors impacting their health care access and utilization. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 12 migrant farmworkers who had worked in Southwest Texas agricultural stream. Data were analyzed and coded to identify themes. Findings indicated that although lack of health insurance was a decisive factor in whether migrant farmworkers accessed or utilized health care services, distance to services, inflexible working hours, and cultural factors related to seeking care also influenced participants' lack of access to and utilization of health care services. Results may be used to aid local, state, and federal agencies in assisting migrant farmworkers in bridging the gap in health care and obtaining needed services.

abstract: Growers and the USDA showed increasing favor for agricultural chemicals over cultural and biological forms of pest control through the first half of the twentieth century. With the introduction of DDT and other synthetic chemicals to commercial markets in the post-World War II era, pesticides became entrenched as the primary form of pest control in the industrial agriculture production system. Despite accumulating evidence that some pesticides posed a threat to human and environmental health, growers and government exercised path-dependent behavior in the development and implementation of pest control strategies. As pests developed resistance to regimens of agricultural chemicals, growers applied pesticides with greater toxicity in higher volumes to their fields with little consideration for the unintended consequences of using the economic poisons. Consequently, pressure from non-governmental organizations proved a necessary predicate for pesticide reform. This dissertation uses a series of case studies to examine the role of non-governmental organizations, particularly environmental organizations and farmworker groups, in pesticide reform from 1962 to 2011. For nearly fifty years, these groups served as educators, communicating scientific and experiential information about the adverse effects of pesticides on human health and environment to the public, and built support for the amendment of pesticide policies and the alteration of pesticide use practices. Their efforts led to the passage of more stringent regulations to better protect farmworkers, the public, and the environment. Environmental organizations and farmworker groups also acted as watchdogs, monitoring the activity of regulatory agencies and bringing suit when necessary to ensure that they fulfilled their responsibilities to the public. This dissertation will build on previous scholarly work to show increasing collaboration between farmworker groups and environmental organizations. It argues that the organizations shared a common concern about the effects of pesticides on human health, which enabled bridge-builders within the disparate organizations to foster cooperative relationships. Bridge-building proved a mutually beneficial exercise. Variance in organizational strategies and the timing of different reform efforts limited, but did not eliminate, opportunities for collaboration. Coalitions formed when groups came together temporarily, and then drifted apart when a reform effort reached its terminus, leaving future collaboration still possible. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. History 2011

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This thesis is about the sporting lives of people who work and/or live at the commercial grape and wine farms of the Western Cape. Collectively referred to as farm workers, they are identified by the Western Cape Provincial Government as a priority group in need of "development". Over the past 15 or so years, proclamations and practices of "sport for development and peace" (SDP) have emerged as globally recognised phenomena, where sport is promoted as a tool to achieve a broad range of "development" objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals. As a research topic, SDP scholars examine the practical and theoretical usefulness of sport as a tool for addressing a diverse set of social, health, political and economic issues through education, diplomacy, inclusion, and awareness programmes. Instead of attending to the questions of whether or how sport might serve "development" ends, this study offers a critical analysis of the nexus between sport and "development" (SDN) in the context of farm workers of the Western Cape. Informed by James Ferguson‘s analysis of "development" as an 'anti-politics machine' (1990), I adopt a deconstructionist approach that examines issues beyond the narrow confines of "development" problems and programmes. As he argues, "development" continues to serve as a-central organising concept‘ to discuss and assess desired change in social and economic realms, which is evident in the programmes of farm worker "development" and how these continue to retain a place in the policy and political discourses on agrarian transformation in post-apartheid South Africa. With an appreciation of the Western Cape‘s agrarian history and politics and how they shape present-day farm labour conditions, I have critically analysed the discourses and practices of farm worker "development" and SDP in the light of broader structural realities, everyday sporting lives and the "development" experiences of farm workers. The central organising question of this thesis is: how do "development" problems and the solutions sought for in SDP discourses and programmes correspond to the social, economic and political realities of their subjects? Drawing on my ethnographic fieldwork conducted at farmlands in and around Rawsonville, a small rural town, from April 2012 to May 2013, I illustrate different and seemingly disconnected frames and positions from which theories of SDP and farm workers‘ experiences of sport and "development" were observed. The analysis is organised around three contrasting frames of observation, namely: 1) historical and contemporary discourses and politics of farm worker "development" and SDP programmes and practices, 2) structural arrangements of competitive and physical infrastructure for official sport, and 3) everyday (official and unofficial) sporting practices and experiences of the rural working class people. With a particular attention to continuities and contradictions in historical and contemporary farm worker "development" discourses and selected SDP case studies, I demonstrate that while SDP agendas directed at farm workers may serve divergent and at times conflicting interests, farm workers' own agency, initiative and aspirations do not feature in SDP programmes and broader "development" discourses. The contrasts and counter-narratives presented in discussing these case studies and stories complicate and contest simplified notions commonly projected in global SDP discourses and locally specific "development" agendas. Beyond the confines of sporadic and temporary SDP projects, there was a vibrant and active world of formal and informal sport among the farm workers of Rawsonville. By focusing on the everyday sporting lives of athletes, coaches, managers, organisers and soccer clubs, I paint a picture that reveals the diversity and inconsistency of experiences and meanings of farm worker as an identity, a class position and an occupation. Interrogating how farm workers were embedded within the broader rural sport structures, I describe the complex set of factors that shaped their experiences of, access to, and participation in, sport. I argue that while sport was passionately pursued irrespective of direct or corollary "development" benefits, it was unofficial and under-the-radar sport networks and practices that served as vital spaces of autonomy, initiative and self-realization, even for those who may not otherwise have had such opportunities. And while the politically disengaged and enthusiastically embraced qualities of sport may continue to be among the reasons for its traction in "development" and peace agendas, these very same qualities allow sport to be usefully employed as an ethnographic method. Among the formative turns I took in conducting and presenting my research observations was to implicate myself and invite the reader into the confusing and complex process of learning and knowledge production. By way of conclusion, I argue for refocusing the gaze of research on studying sport as part of the broader scope of subaltern sociality.

Background: Migrant farm workers are exposed to job hazards in Tennessee, which is among the top five tomato-producing states. Objectives: This project sought to cultivate and evaluate a partnership to marshal greater resources to address migrants’ concerns and to better prepare future health professionals to address occupational issues. Methods: In the spring of 2008, an interprofessional student–faculty team at a regional university catalyzed a partnership with a clinic for migrants and a national network caring for the itinerant underserved. Results: Several community-based participatory research (CBPR) activities are underway. The partnership has resulted in the following projects: Use of the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method to identify job tasks likely to be injurious, development and use of a health screening questionnaire to capture more information about occupational health, and continuing education seminars for providers and a case-based curriculum module for third-year medical students. Conclusions: Interprofessional service learning about migrant occupational health issues may have its greatest impact as participating students enter the regional workforce, caring for patients employed in slow-to-change agricultural operations.

The dramatic increase of type-2 diabetes within the Latino community is of great concern in the U.S., especially among Mexican im/migrant farmworkers. Anthropological scholarship shows that health issues within im/migrant groups in the U.S. are poorly understood from a sociocultural and local perspective. In Indian River County, Florida, farmworker leaders created a community garden in response to health problems in this community. This initiative was launched to educate families about the health and economic benefits of growing their own food. The Indian River County Health Department and the local leaders are working collaboratively to inform the community about the risks of type-2 diabetes by providing educational lectures about health, food, and nutrition, in an effort to engage the farmworkers to actively participate in community gardens. However, little engagement to this initiative has been observed within the farmworker community. This ethnographic investigation examines the challenges of involving Mexican im/migrant farmworkers in community-based solutions to health problems. Based on participant observation, survey, and interview data with farmworkers and key informants from the Farmworkers Association of Florida, this project examines the perspectives of health concerns and the role of grassroots initiatives in addressing health needs. Specifically, it analyzes barriers to healthy eating and explores how community gardens can improve health outcomes in farmworker communities. This research contributes to the understanding of Mexican im/migrant farmworkers' health in Indian River County, and it has the potential to guide health-related policies pertaining to im/migrant communities in general.

<p>This dissertation examines the seasonal round of st Lucian contract workers who travel to Ontario every year for temporary employment in the Foreign Agricultural Resources Management Service program (FARMS). The study's focus is divided among Ontario growers as employers, st Lucian agricultural workers as employees, residents of a rural town in Southwestern Ontario, and governmental departments that influence the FARMS program in Canada and in st Lucia. The main argument of the dissertation is that labour migration has been an integral part of st Lucian history since emancipation on the island. It is both an economic strategy and a symbol of the freedom emancipation promised. While factors external to the island, such as the need for agricultural labour in Ontario and a long history of connections between Canada and the British West Indies influence where st Lucians travel, the propensity of these men and women to leave the island and return can only be explained in terms of st Lucia's history as a British colony. Within this history, labour migration emerges in conjunction with other strategies of enduring yet resisting the plantation economy that characterized the island for centuries. Although "workin' on the contract" in Canada is used by st Lucians for individual social and economic goals, it derives its meaning from the shared cultural beliefs and values of the island's society.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This study aimed to determine the feasibility of three distinct self-monitoring modalities employed as part of a weight-loss intervention among Spanish- and Mixtec-speaking women with low-no literacy who were overweight or obese (body mass index, BMI> 25). Primary outcomes assessed include self-monitoring adherence, weight, body composition, and diet quality. Participants (n=18) were recruited from the Cal Poly Women and Infants Mobile Health Unit, and contacted if they had a BMI> 25 and did not attend school beyond elementary level (6th grade). Upon enrollment, participants were asked to attend a weekly meeting at which the lifestyle intervention was delivered by a trained research assistant. In addition, all participants were randomized to one of three self-monitoring modalities (written-diary, photographs, audio-recordings), which they were prescribed to adhere to throughout the study. Adherence was evaluated weekly and participants were provided tailored feedback the day following the group meetings. Body composition and dietary habits were assessed at pre- and post-intervention visits. Participants (N=18; aged 41.3 ± 7.3 years; 100% female; BMI 34.6 ± 4.0) in all three groups were assessed on four different measures of adherence to self-monitoring (% total adherence, ≥3 submissions, ≥2 submissions, ≥1 submission). Percent total adherence ± standard deviation (SD) was on average 44.1 ± 34.4% with 48.8% in the written-diary group, 46.4% in the photos group and 37.1% in the audio-recording group (p=0.878). In accordance with previous studies supporting the efficacy of self-monitoring in weight loss, adherence was also assessed on 75% of days weekly. Upon examining ≥2 and ≥3 submissions daily for 75% of days weekly, adherence was highest in the written-diary group (54.4% and 49.1%, respectively), followed by the photos (15.1% and 38%, respectively) and audio-recording groups (20.7% vs 30.6%). Body composition and weight were assessed using an electronic scale and Tanita Bioelectrical Impedance Scale (BIA) scale at baseline and post-intervention. Weight loss observed was 6.4 ± 3.5 lbs (mean ± SD or 3.7% body weight (BW). Weight loss was greatest in the photos group with 7.6 ± 4.7 lbs, followed by the audio-recording group with 6.8 ± 3.9 lbs, and the written-diary group with 4.8 ± 4.2 lbs (p=0.588). Change in percent body fat was not significantly different across the three groups with an average of 2.1 ± 1.6% body fat lost. Mean attendance at weekly intervention meetings was 76.4% and was similar across groups. Finally, diet quality was significantly improved during the intervention with a reported 20.8% increase in consumption of servings of fruit daily, a 54.5% increase in servings of vegetables consumed daily, and overall 82.4% more participants using measuring cups while preparing food, and 58% less participants consuming fast food in the past 7 days. The application of written-diaries, photographs and audio recordings are all feasible and acceptable modalities of self-monitoring for promoting self-regulation in a population of Hispanic women with BMI>25 and low-literacy. Future research efforts should continue to explore the application of existing and novel self-monitoring methods in order to determine the most optimal way to engage with this subpopulation.

Resumo: Os objetivos deste trabalho são os de expor os elementos pedagógicos principais presentes nas escolas Construindo o Caminho e Instituto de Educação Josué de Castro, verificar qual a força determinante na organização da proposta educacional do Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra e elucidar se essa proposta contém elementos educacionais de interesse para as classes trabalhadoras em geral, do ponto de vista democrático e popular. A investigação revelou que o modo de apropriação do excedente econômico e a luta de classes constituem-se na força determinante na organização da proposta educacional e, também, que as escolas do Movimento, estruturadas e organizadas de forma diferente daquela usualmente encontrada nas escolas oficiais, colocam em epígrafe categorias educacionais como a união do ensino com o trabalho e a gestão democrática compartilhada entre alunos, professores e funcionários. / Abstract: The purposes of this work are to state the main pedagogic elements of the schools Construindo o Caminho and Instituto de Educação Josué de Castro, find out the determinant component in the organization of the educational proposal of the Landless Farmworkers Movement, and make it clear whether or not that proposal encompasses the educational elements that may interest working classes in general, in a democratic and popular view. Investigation findings showed that the way economic surplus appropriation is done and the classes struggle constitute the determinant force in its educational proposal organization; and, also, that the Movement's schools, structured and organized in a quite distinct way from the ordinary ones belonging to the State, give emphasis to educational categories such as association between teaching and work as well as democratic management shared between students, teachers and their staff members.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine migrant women farmworkers' views of perinatal care management while working in the fields. Like men, women migrant farmworkers are exposed to many physical, chemical, and biological hazards that pose human health risks. However, women of childbearing age are at an increased risk of having reproductive health difficulties and adverse pregnancy outcomes, and the infant mortality rate among migrant farmworkers is estimated to be twice the national average. Perinatal care is a critical factor in reducing adverse outcomes for perinatal and newborn mortality. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 15 migrant women farmworkers between the ages of 18 to 40 years who had experienced at least 1 gestational period during while working in the Midwest agricultural stream. Participants were voluntarily recruited from farms in Northern Ohio using purposeful sampling techniques. Guided by the social ecological model, data were analyzed via inductive coding techniques to tease out common themes. All participants reported a basic understanding of prenatal care but due to numerous occupational, community, and access barriers, could not participate in what they perceived as normal prenatal care. Also, participants stated when in gestation they were expected to perform the same jobs as women not in gestation. These findings may inform the work of public health providers and migrant healthcare clinicians of migrant women farmworkers' challenges while receiving perinatal care in Northern Ohio; results can also be used to influence local and national migrant healthcare policies on comprehensive maternal healthcare for migrant women farmworkers in Ohio and across the United States.