Climate Change and Social Vulnerability Among Farmworkers: Perspectives and Strategies from Support Groups in North Carolina

Sammanfattning

Agricultural workers are on the frontlines of climate change, experiencing firsthand the effects of heatwaves, extreme weather, floods, and droughts on their health, safety, and livelihoods. However, their capacity to address these risks is often restricted by vulnerability factors such as workplace precarity, socioeconomic and immigration status, poor access to health services, and cultural and language barriers. In this study, I draw perspectives from the political economy of health, racial formations theory, and critical race theory to examine how farmworker support groups in North Carolina, United States, perceive and address the risks posed to Latinx farmworkers by climate change. Based on qualitative analysis of eight in-depth interviews with members of farmworker support groups, findings highlight the importance of collaboration between service and advocacy groups in addressing social vulnerability and enhancing adaptive capacity among farmworkers. This study seeks to contribute to re-framing climate change adaptation as practical, community-scale strategies to improve the adaptive capacities of socially vulnerable groups.