Project Overview

The UC-MX Farm Labor Research Cluster, over the course of three workshops hosted in Mexico City, united researchers, advocates, and organizations to examine, discuss, and present research relevant to farm labor in California and Mexico within three broad groups of Agricultural Production, Health and Community, and Law and Migration. Topics of interest in Agricultural Production ranged from the impact of technological innovations on farm labor to connections between Mexican and US supply chains. The Health and Community group provided numerous insights into health impacts on farmworkers related to cancers, COVID-19, and climate specific vulnerabilities including drought, water contamination, wildfires, and heat. Finally, the Law and Migration group highlighted various policy impacts on farmworker communities in both Mexico and the US as well as the economic and climate drivers of migration across the US-Mexico border and within the US. The research and discussions from the three workshops is currently being consolidated into a White Paper to summarize the state of farmworker-related research. 

Leadership

Project leadership includes faculty, researchers, graduate and undergraduate students. Dr. Susana Matias and Dr. Federico Castillo served as PIs and coPIs from the beginning of the project. Two undergraduate students, Elsa Cuenca-Rubio and Moncerrat Hernandez assisted with communications, workshops logistics and organization, as well as intellectual thematic collaboration. Alina Leticia Zarate, a graduate student in the Energy and Resources Group, joined the project during the second year and contributed to the academic content of the white paper as well as to the preparation of the third workshop. Graduate and undergraduate students’ contributions were key to the success of the project. 

Partnerships

From the early stages of the project, leadership engaged with different stakeholders in order to increase the project’s footprint. Project partners included the Institute for Labor Research and Employment (IRLE), the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), the Latinx and the Environment Program at UCB, the Center for Planetary Health (CPH), a systemwide center sponsored by the University of California Global Health Institute and the hosting institution at UC Berkeley, the Berkeley Food Institute.  Partners’ contributions included, but were not limited to, funding, logistical assistance in project implementation, communication strategies and strategic social media presence. 

Project participants have also engaged in partnerships seeking research funding. Given the current research funding environment at the federal level, project participants have explored other funding sources including state and philanthropic sources. This is an ongoing process and results will be shared via our website shortly. 

Publications

As a direct and indirect result of project activities, participants have engaged in the preparation of academic manuscripts and publications dealing with topics such as the dual impact of heat and Covid-19 on farmworkers, two sections of the 5th California Climate Change Assessment Report, impacts of wildfire smoke on Latinx communities in California, and others. Of note is the book currently under preparation by Alina Leticia Zarate, titled “Our Five Seasons: Farmworkers’ Warnings on Climate Change” and due for publication in the Spring of 2026.  

The Binational Agriculture Working Group

During the workshops and because of project participants’ interactions during working group meetings, it became clear that farm labor is an important component of the agricultural sector for Mexico and California. As with farm labor, Mexico and California agricultural sectors face the same challenges: labor issues, climate change impacts, water quality and quantity issues, clean energy, and more. Thus, with funding from the University of California Alianza MX Program and under the academic leadership of Dr. Federico Castillo, the Binational Agriculture Working Group  (BAWG) will be launched during an activity in Mexico City at the Casa de la Universidad de California on January 14-15, 2026. The BAWG seeks to establish a common research and policy agricultural agenda for California and Mexico. Participants in the BAWG include members of the academic community, policy makers and Community Based Organizations from Mexico and California. 

We want to thank the Berkeley Food Institute for providing institutional support for the project, and for encouraging and assisting with establishing partnerships for project participants. Finally, we would like to thank the University of California Alianza MX program for funding the project and kindly hosting our workshops at the Casa de la Universidad de California in Mexico City.