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5 Agriculture
Pages 141-161

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From page 141...
... The child labor laws applied to agriculture are less restrictive than those applied to nonagricultural industries, despite that fact that agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries in the country (see Chapter 6~. Children working on their parents' farms are exempt from many legal protections: They are allowed to perform even those tasks designated as hazardous, which is not the case in nonagricultural work, where children are prohibited from hazardous jobs even if working in their parents' businesses.)
From page 142...
... Today, rapid changes are occurring in agriculture in the United States and around the world. The globalization of trade, advances in biotechnology, and such engineering feats as the leveling of land with sophisticated laser equipment, are resulting in an industrialization of agriculture and a notion that farms are becoming firms (Department of Agricultural Economics, 1995~.
From page 143...
... This change has also affectec! the prevalence of family farms anc!
From page 144...
... The National Agricultural Workers Survey includes only hired farmworkers 14 years of age or older; self-employed and unpaid family farm workers are excluded. Therefore, both of these surveys are likely to undercount the actual number of children and adolescents working in agriculture (Arroyo and Kurre, 1997; U.S.
From page 145...
... Analysts of child labor issues in agriculture often differentiate between family farm children and migrant farmworker children. Although this distinction may be useful for selected purposes, it is misleading in suggesting that there are exclusive categories of children who work in agriculture.
From page 146...
... The lifestyle on many family farms maintains traditions of years past. Daily routines are directed by the farm operator (usually the father)
From page 147...
... The work and recreation activities of adults and children receive social support through public and privately sponsored programs, such as AH, Future Farmers of America, Cooperative Extension Service training, and rural churches. However, over the past 150 years, there has been a remarkable decrease in the farm population and an increase in the average size of farms in acres (see Table 5-~.
From page 148...
... Especially in California and other Western states, thousands of Mexican Americans and Mexican nationals are filling the seasonal labor needs of intensive hand labor needed during the planting, weeding, and harvesting, especially in fruit and vegetable monocropping. Florida and the Eastern seaboard states also attract immigrant workers, many of whom are from Haiti and other West Indian nations, as well as from Mexico and other Central American countries.
From page 149...
... Children who work in the fields are also exposed to numerous hazards. Many of these hazards are particularly germane to young migrant farmworkers, who work in the fields alongside their parents a pattern that began at the turn of the century.
From page 150...
... Data from the National Agricultural Workers Survey indicate that 28 percent of hired farmworkers have
From page 151...
... These high-risk activities were very common practices, and the fathers believed strongly that they were justified because they would help children gain farm experience, develop a strong work ethic, spend time with other family members (during farm work) , build self-confidence, and save work time and money for their fathers.
From page 152...
... ~. Although there are no reliable data on how many children of migrant farmworkers actually work in the fields, farmworker advocates and enforcement officials report that the single greatest problem facing children working in agriculture is children working under their parents' payroll numbers (U.S.
From page 153...
... Studies show that the most common agents of minor injury to children are animals and falls, while the most common agents of serious injury are tractors and moving machinery (Purschwitz, 1990; Rivara, 1997; Stallones and Gunderson, 1994~. Other conditions that pose risks to children are poor sanitary facilities, inadequate housing, long hours in the fields, and heavy lifting and carrying of produce.
From page 154...
... Pesticides have been associated with a number of delayed health effects, such as chronic dermatitis, fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances, anxiety, memory problems, and different kinds of cancers, birth defects, sterility, blood disorders, and abnormalities in liver and kidney function, chronic neurotoxicity, and adverse reproductive consequences (Moses, 1989; Sharp et al., 1986; Wasserstrom and Wiles, 1985~. Estimates of the occurrence of pesticide-related illnesses are difficult to make because underreporting is likely: Many migrant farmworkers who might be affected never see physicians or are never properly diagnosed; if the workers do seek medical attention, the health-care professionals may be unfamiliar with the symptoms of pesticide-related illnesses, and farmworkers may not know the names of the pesticides being used.
From page 155...
... Poor Field Sanitation A lack of clean drinking water, hand-washing facilities, and toilets presents another hazard to agricultural workers. This lack of sanitary facilities contributes to a spread of parasites.
From page 156...
... Migrant farmworker adolescents often lack their families' supervision. The National Agricultural Workers Survey found that 47 percent of farmworkers below the age of 18 do not live with their parents; 80 percent of farmworker teens born outside the United States live away from their parents (Mines et al., 1997~.
From page 157...
... lists the current rules and regulations regarding hours and hazardous conditions that apply to children working in agriculture. Farmworkers were initially excluded from protection under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.
From page 159...
... BARRIERS TO REGULATION OF AGRICULTURE Interventions protecting children from agricultural hazards generate philosophical debate over issues germane to parenting, public
From page 160...
... These responsibilities may prove daunting, both in terms of financial and time investments, to owners of small farms. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, legal exemptions limit federal or state authority over hours of work, salary, and occupational safety standards related to youngsters involved in farm work.
From page 161...
... At the same time, the lack of legal protections for many aspects of farm work by children and adolescents raises questions about the negative aspects of such work. Ideally, agriculture should provide safe, appropriate opportunities for young people to develop meaningful skills and attributes that increase their likelihood of succeeding in the adult labor market.


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