A recent survey conducted by the University of California, Berkeley found that about 75% of agricultural workers in Sonoma County have worked during wildfires since 2017. The study, which included responses from over 1,000 farmworkers, highlights ongoing concerns about worker safety and questions the effectiveness of a program that allows agricultural workers to continue working during wildfire evacuations.
Approximately half of the participants reported experiencing health issues such as headaches and sore throats after working in wildfire conditions. Many lacked health insurance and continued working despite feeling unwell due to concerns about job security and meeting basic needs.
The research was led by scholars from UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health and Human Rights Center and published in the Journal of Agromedicine. An accompanying white paper examines the Agricultural Access Verification Card Program, known as “Ag Pass,” which is intended to allow agricultural workers access to their workplaces during disaster evacuations.
Carly Hyland, an assistant professor at UC Berkeley and lead author of the study, said, “The most consistent theme throughout the surveys and interviews was that farmworkers felt it necessary to work in hazardous conditions … to be able to pay for basic needs such as housing and groceries.”
The research draws on a multiyear community-engaged project aimed at understanding challenges faced by agricultural workers in California’s wine-producing regions. Researchers hope their findings will inform policies that protect worker safety during disasters.
“We know farmworkers are going to continue to work in really dangerous conditions,” Hyland said. “And so I think we’re continuing to strategize about how we can make that as safe as possible for workers.”
Wildfires have disrupted agriculture across California. In 2020, about a quarter of wine grapes were not harvested due to wildfires sparked by lightning and complications from the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting an industry already facing uncertainty due to changing consumption habits, climate change, and recurring fires.
Linda Gordon, a climate researcher at UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center and co-author of the study, commented on previous inconsistencies: “Under the evacuation laws at that time, there was no clear way to do that. Each county was designing their own programs, if any. There was very little oversight.”
In response, state legislation passed in 2021 allowed counties to create programs granting approved agricultural workers access during emergencies. Sonoma County expanded this program for all commercial operations and full-time employees. The sheriff’s office administers passes for this program.
Gordon expressed concern about limited public health input in program design: “This Ag Pass program is really specifically focused on reentering an evacuation zone and does not take into consideration potential health or safety impacts on farmworkers.” Hyland added that even outside official evacuation zones, dangerous conditions persist for those working outdoors.
Community engagement played a key role in conducting the survey. Zeke Guzman, president of Latinos Unidos del Condado de Sonoma, helped recruit over 1,000 participants through partnerships with local nonprofits and health centers. This approach aimed to ensure trust among respondents who might otherwise be hesitant.
“The community engagement team was what made it possible for us to recruit that many participants,” Hyland said. She emphasized the importance of collaborating with local partners: “I really firmly believe not just that it can’t, but that this work shouldn’t be done without local partners.”
Survey results showed many workers were unaware of the Ag Pass program or found information inaccessible. Some expressed reluctance regarding interactions with law enforcement agencies administering passes and preferred communication through trusted community organizations or clinics rather than government offices.
One participant explained economic pressures: “To be honest, it is very hard to stop work, and even if we were in danger because of the wildfires or the smoke or bad quality of air, we still have to work. We do not have any other form of income.”
The research team recommends involving public health officials in decisions about activating emergency access programs at the county level and creating clear data privacy policies regarding collected personal information. They also call for more outreach efforts in Spanish and Indigenous languages and stronger collaboration with community groups.
At a state level, researchers suggest providing an economic safety net so farmworkers are not forced to choose between income and safety during disasters; they also urge state agencies to enforce existing health regulations during wildfires.
“We can’t design California’s resilient climate policies without thinking about the people who will be most vulnerable and impacted by them when a wildfire hits,” Gordon said.
