NEWSLETTER - OCTOBER 2020
Celebrating Indigenous People and Their Contributions
to the Supply Chain
Indigenous people make up about 20% of the farmworker population in California. They provide a critical function in the food supply, but can often face poor working conditions due to discrimination and harassment. 

Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) creates a culture of respect on farming operations as deeper value is placed on worker rights, trust and transparency. Our social and labor standards include language rights and engagement of Indigenous voices in worker representative positions. One of these voices is Teofila Canongo, an Indigenous farmworker for strawberry grower GoodFarms. As part of the labor-management committee, she provides sexual harassment awareness trainings to the entire workforce and shares feedback to improve working conditions at her ranch.

Buying fresh produce from EFI-certified farms means supporting food brands that promote a collaborative and respectful workplace for workers at all levels.
Teofila Canongo, an Indigenous farmworker and
EFI representative, harvests strawberries in Oxnard, California.
Promoting COVID-19 measures
in Indigenous languages 

During this health crisis, labor-management collaboration teams on EFI-certified farms understood that knowledge is the most important preventive measure.

Farm representatives created resources in a variety of native languages. They translated important standards, illustrated food safety precautions and recorded and shared videos about coronavirus updates in Tzeltal, Ch'ol and Mixtec via text-messaging services.
What the EFI Program means
for Indigenous workers

EFI’s worker engagement model has helped Indigenous workers feel comfortable speaking their native languages, be more secure in the workplace and value their work as skillful agricultural employees. The EFI Program creates an awareness of respect, and workers know they can report discrimination through a safe method in place on certified farms.

A study done by University of California, Berkeley found that Indigenous farmworkers reported reduced harassment and discrimination on EFI-trained farming operations. 
WHAT WE ARE READING
Know all about apples this National Apple Month! Here are important tips on how to select, store and prep the perfect fruit.
Read how EFI's worker engagement model has provided positive results on Misionero's certified packing facilities in California and Arizona.
The H-2A visa program is designed to benefit employers but leaves farmworkers at risk of labor trafficking. The story on this potato farm is one example.
Spread the word!