Migrant Agricultural Workers

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) defines migratory agricultural workers as:

“individuals whose principal employment is in agriculture, and who have been so employed within the last 24 months, and who establish for the purposes of such employment a temporary abode;”

Research on migrant and seasonal agricultural workers and HIV prevalence in rural communities is limited. Several factors may increase the risk of this population contracting HIV, such as limited access to healthcare, poverty, substandard housing, and limited English proficiency. Their highly mobile lifestyle also increases barriers to regularly accessing healthcare, making testing for HIV and follow-up complicated.

Resources to Learn More

HIV/AIDS Prevention
Website
Includes health initiatives focused on prevention programs for migrant and seasonal farmworkers who are at an increased risk for contracting HIV/AIDS.
Organization(s): Farmworker Justice

HIV/ AIDS Agricultural Worker Factsheet
Document
Describes the HIV risk factors impacting migrant farmworkers and discusses cultural practices and beliefs that may impact how programs educate and treat patients.
Organization(s): National Center for Farmworkers Health (NCFH)
Date: 11/2017

HIV Prevention among Mexican Migrants at Different Migration Phases
Document
Examines how varying levels of exposure to HIV prevention messages during the entire migration process may support an increase in HIV testing and a decrease Mexican migrants' HIV risk.
Authors: Martinez-Donate A.P., Rangel M.G., Zhang X., et al.
Citation: AIDS Education and Prevention 27(6): 547-565.
Date: 12/2015