WASHINGTON – Equitable Food Initiative, the workforce development and certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumer advocacy groups, is celebrating National Farmworker Awareness Week by encouraging everyone in the agricultural supply chain, government entities and consumers to share messages of appreciation for farmworkers. EFI has provided industry resources for the past several years to help bring attention to the men and women who work so hard to ensure Americans have access to fresh, nutritious food every day.
National Farmworker Awareness Week is a call to action for communities to help raise awareness of the more than 2.5 million essential workers that plant, raise, grow, handle, harvest, pack and ship the food we consume. It emphasizes the important and #AlwaysEssential contributions they make to the food supply chain. This commemorative week is observed from March 25 to 31, and those working in agriculture can participate by sharing the key messages and graphics provided in EFI’s free communications toolkit.
The pandemic, followed by ongoing supply chain shortages and increasing food prices, continues to shine a light on the realities of the food supply chain, including agriculture’s frontline workers. Consumers continue to take a real interest in where their food comes from and in the workers who help bring that food from farm to table.
EFI is encouraging agricultural industry members and consumers alike to speak as one voice and amplify the message that farmworkers are #AlwaysEssential by:
· Sharing the communications toolkit and information across the agricultural industry.
· Creating unique content or videos for social media highlighting Farmworker Awareness Week and using the #AlwaysEssential and #FarmworkerAwareness hashtags.
· Providing “live” content for social media channels featuring farmworker interviews that detail their jobs, safety precautions they take, and the skills and knowledge they bring to their work.
· Asking state governors or political officials to draft a proclamation supporting National Farmworker Awareness Week.
· Hosting events in celebration of farmworkers.
· Contacting local media and asking them to share information about the role of agriculture and farmworkers in local economies during Farmworker Awareness Week.
· Providing thank-you messages to farmworkers everywhere.
Agricultural and food industry members can join EFI in promoting National Farmworker Awareness Week by accessing the communications toolkit, which includes ready-to-use graphics, logos, hashtags and messages. Participants are encouraged to create their own graphics from the easily customizable templates, as well as promote their organization, business or industry and tell their unique story. The kit also includes a new coloring page for children that serves as a thank-you note to farmworkers.
“Farm work has always been difficult, but today’s realities of chronic labor shortages, extreme weather events, skyrocketing costs and inflation provide even more reason to celebrate the men and women working on the frontlines to provide fresh and nutritious food,” said LeAnne Ruzzamenti, director of marketing communications for EFI. “The men and women of agriculture and the food industry work tirelessly to improve the safety and quality of our food systems. The work they do is truly essential and should be valued and celebrated by every consumer.”
For more information on National Farmworker Awareness Week, please visit equitablefood.org/farmworkerawareness.
About EFI
Equitable Food Initiative is a nonprofit certification and skill-building organization that seeks to increase transparency in the food supply chain and improve the lives of farmworkers through a team-based approach to training and continuous improvement practices. EFI brings together growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumers to solve the most pressing issues facing the fresh produce industry. Its unparalleled approach sets standards for labor practices, food safety and pest management while engaging workers at all levels on the farm to produce Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured® fruits and vegetables. For more information about Equitable Food Initiative, visit equitablefood.org.
View a list of EFI-certified farms at equitablefood.org/farms.
