What Oxfam is doing

Farm labor remains among the most dangerous and underpaid occupations in the US, with a largely migrant and immigrant workforce that has been marginalized and exploited for decades. For years, Oxfam has worked with organizations that advocate for the rights and welfare of farmworkers in the US. We support efforts to improve working and living conditions, raise wages, obtain rights to organize, and raise voices of the men and women who work in the fields.

Equitable Food Initiative

Oxfam is partnering with farmworker advocates on a new initiative that has the potential to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of farmworkers. The Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) brings together stakeholders across the produce supply chain to build a set of fair and verifiable standards for a certification system that will guarantee decent wages, safe and dignified work environments, and freedom from discrimination. It will also enhance food safety and environmental sustainability.

Major food buyers, including Costco and Bon Appetit Management Company, have joined EFI’s steering committee, along with the Consumer Federation of America, Center for Science in the Public Interest and Pesticide Action Network.

Farm Labor Organizing Committee and Reynolds Tobacco

For several years, Oxfam has been working with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) to assess the situation of farmworkers in tobacco fields, and to rally support for their human rights. A 2011 study found that thousands of farmworkers in the tobacco agricultural system in North Carolina suffer inhumane conditions.

In the past year, Reynolds Tobacco has agreed to meet with members of FLOC, opening the door to improved conditions and human rights.