Participatory Research in Pesticide Safety

1. Participatory Research in Pesticide Safety Indigenous language-speaking farmworkers in Oregon Pamela Rao, PhD Farmworker Justice March 30, 2009

2. Challenges in Teaching Environmental Health • The concept of being “at risk” for illness or injury from environmental factors is difficult to grasp • The relationship between pesticides and human health is complex and not well understood • Many farmworkers do not feel they have the self-efficacy to protect themselves and their families • Farmworkers come from a wide variety of sociocultural backgrounds: • Language differences • Generally limited educational attainment • Wide variation in traditions and beliefs • All these issues are magnified when working with non-Spanish speaking farmworkers

3. Challenges in Improving Safety in the Fields • Does the training meet the test of “understood by the worker” if presented on ly in English or Spanish? • Do workers have an opportunity to ask questions? • Are posting requirements being met? • Are restricted entry intervals being observed? • Are workers able to obtain pesticide information in the event of an accidental exposure or poisoning? • Is drinking and wash water available in the fields?

4. Community-based Participatory Research With Farmworkers • Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a collaborative research process involving researchers and community representatives that: • engages community members, employs local knowledge in the understanding of health problems and the design of interventions; • invests community members in the processes and products of research; and • Invests the community in the dissemination and use of research findings and ultimately in the reduction of health disparities. Source: http://www.ahrq.gov/about/cpcr/cbpr/cbpr1.htm

5. Promoting the Occupational Health of Indigenous Workers • Partners: • Oregon Law Center (OLC) • Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN) • Salud Medical Center • Portland State University • Farmworker Justice • The project aims to develop community-based strategies to improve health and safety conditions and access to services for indigenous farmworkers in the Willamette Valley of Oregon • Project staff includes four indigenous-speaking outreach workers • Funded by NIOSH August 2004-August 2008

6. Agricultural Workers in Oregon 174,000 migrant and seasonal agricultural workers and their dependents live and work in Oregon each year They harvest berries, tree fruits & vegetables, work in nurseries & vineyards, and trim Christmas trees An estimated 30% to 40% of workers are from indigenous communities of Mexico and Guatemala

7. Indigenous-language Speaking Farmworkers in Oregon • Workers speak languages such as Mixteco, Triqui, or Zapoteco as their first language • Many speak little or no Spanish • Indigenous languages of Mexico and Guatemala: • Bear no resemblance to Spanish • Have distinctive local variants • Have no written tradition, and no generally accepted written form Photo by Santiago Ventura Oregon Law Center

8. http://www.triquicopala.com Un sitio de Internet para los indígenas triquis de San Juan Copala y quienes quieren saber más acerca de ellos. Nihánj me 'o rej rihaan Internet che'é nij síí man chuman' do', che'é nij síí yaníj me rá quene'en doj che'é nij síí man chuman' do' a. A website for the Copala Triqui people and those who want to know more about them.

9. Project Overview • Focus groups and key informant interviews with farmworkers and health care providers • Baseline survey • Community Advisory Council • Community feedback forum • Curriculum development for promotores de salud program • Implementation and evaluation • Dissemination

10. Summary of Findings • Workplace safety was not a priority for supervisors or employers • Workers were concerned about lack of information about pesticides and other workplace hazards • Spanish language videos were not easily understood by indigenous language-speaking workers • Pesticide application signage is inadequate • Indigenous farmworkers felt disrespected and disregarded by employers and supervisors

11. The Promotores 10 farmworkers were trained as promotores in 2007 13 were trained in 2008 Promotores speak Mixteco Alto, Mixteco Bajo, Triqui de Copala, Zapoteco de Valle They meet with workers one-to-one or in small groups

12. Promotores de Salud Training • Two trainings were conducted: • Environmental health • Advocacy • Training in each topic was a day and a half • Curriculum used a variety of teaching methods intended for adults with limited reading skills, including role plays, skits, and group discussions

13. Environmental Health Topics • The training on environmental health included education in the following areas: • How pesticides affect the body • How pesticides enter the body • Danger of pesticide exposure and how to reduce that danger • Understanding workers’ rights • Farmworkers and field sanitation

14. Advocacy Topics • The training on advocacy included education in the following areas: • Who is a leader • Leadership qualities • Basic advocacy at the individual level • Basic advocacy at the community level • Influencing the law-making process • Meeting with government agencies • Securing improvements in pesticide regulations

15. Outreach to Indigenous Communities • Promotores representing at least three indigenous languages carried out peer education with their neighbors and co-workers • CDs and tapes containing ‘socio dramas’ on a variety of topics were distributed in Mixteco Alto and Bajo, Triqui de Itunyoso and de Copala, Zapoteco (Ejutla), and Spanish. • Outreach information was reinforced by promotores and radio programming • Promotores and outreach workers distributed pocket-sized crop books on a single crop

16. Promotores de Salud as Worker Advocates Promotores met with Oregon-OSHA to urge improvements in labor camp standards Promotores also met with EPA to seek improvements in pesticide training and safety requirements Workers have presented at professional conferences around the country

17. Next Steps • New project: Prevent and Reduce Adverse Health Effects of Pesticides on Indigenous Farmworkers • To be funded by NIEHS, slated to start in April 2009 • Seeks a link between substantively and culturally appropriate training and a drop in the biomarkers that may indicate increased risk adverse health outcomes due to exposure • Will use a peer education approach, supplemented by socio dramas, visual materials, audio materials, and radio broadcasts in indigenous languages and Spanish

18. Acknowledgements • Funded by NIOSH grant 5R25OH008334-04 • Project partners: • Oregon Law Center (OLC) • Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN) • Salud Medical Center • Portland State University • Farmworker Justice For more information, please contact: Pamela Rao, PhD Farmworker Justice 1126 16th St NW, Suite 270 Washington, DC 20036 202 293 5420 ext 310 prao@farmworkerjustice.org