In brief
As summer temperatures climb, farmworker Raul Cruz begins his days at dawn to avoid the oppressive heat in California's Imperial Valley. With temperatures regularly surpassing 100°F, workers face increased risks of heat stress while harvesting vital crops like sugarcane. Research from San Diego State University seeks to quantify these heat hazards and improve rest regulations to protect this vulnerable labor force. Findings suggest that irrigation can both mitigate and exacerbate heat conditions, complicating the safety landscape for farmworkers in this critical agricultural region.
In the summers, the sky is jet black when Raul Cruz arrives at this Imperial Valley sugarcane field to start his day. He chops, cleans and bundles the crop, taking heed as the sun rises. It’s hard work, but so is starting at 4 a.m., even though he knows it’s the safest thing when temperatures in this California desert frequently soar into the triple digits.
“We just have to because we need to beat the heat,” said Cruz, who’s worked here for 15 years. They finish work by 9 or 10 a.m. to avoid the risk of heat stroke, he added, but when heat starts creeping up around 8 a.m., “mentally, it’s stressful.”
The hot climate that makes this Southern California region a farming powerhouse is also dangerous for farmworkers, who are increasingly vulnerable to rising temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal, oil, and natural gas. Researchers from San Diego State University are working to understand the health consequences of heat stress on farmworkers and where heat is most extreme in this rural landscape. They hope their findings can lead to a better understanding of rural heat islands, identify gaps in research, and help develop interventions that better protect them in the face of climate change.
“Workers could potentially be dying or having some serious issues,” said project leader Nicolas Lopez-Galvez, assistant professor in the School of Public Health at SDSU. “It’s better to start acting sooner.”
California has experienced a near 3°F rise in temperatures since the early 1900s, with Southern California warming at double the rate of its northern counterpart. In the Imperial Valley, where summer temperatures regularly exceed 100°F, workers like Ana Solorio recall feeling suffocated by the heat as they harvest crops under oppressive conditions.
Data gathering is underway to understand how different crops affect the heat stress experiences of farmworkers in various seasons as they work. And while California has established safety regulations for heat, their enforcement remains lax, often leaving workers without adequate protection against the rising temperatures.
Lopez-Galvez and his team plan to expand their research to California's Central Valley and into Yuma, Arizona, aiming to provide further insights into how agricultural policy can be adapted to improve worker safety in the face of increasingly harsh climates.
