How did economic instability and additional pandemic factors affect farmworkers' mental health? Read BIMI's new policy brief "Addressing California Farmworkers’ Mental Health & Food Security During the Pandemic" by Graciela Chong. This policy brief discusses the article “Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on California Farmworkers’ Mental Health and Food Security’’ by Ana Mora, Joseph Lewnard, and co-authors. Farmworkers in Monterrey County reported struggling with their mental health and food insecurity but were afraid of seeking help due to many being undocumented. This brief also shares what can be done to provide more resources and safety to farmworkers moving forward. 

The agricultural food industry is upheld by the very vulnerable and underpaid work of farm workers. With this comes far too many injuries that have become a normalized experience for these farm workers. This policy brief by Graciela Chong highlights Dr. Seth Holmes's article on the need for visibility in farmwork injuries within statistics and society to create meaningful change in the agricultural fields. Farm industries should allow flexibility and variety in the type of work farmworkers can perform on duty to limit the continuous, repetitive nature of their work.