Farmworker COVID-19 Community Assessments (FCCAs)

​As part of a national COVID-19 outreach and vaccination project for farmworkers supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NCFH is conducting a series of Farmworker COVID-19 Community Assessments (FCCA). Five community assessments were conducted in Phase 1 of the project (August – December 2021) in collaboration with local partners and included 1,094 surveys with farmworkers and 52 qualitative interviews with farmworkers, employers, and organizations. Phase 2 of the project kicked off in March 2022 and includes assessments from five additional communities.

​These assessments highlight the racial and linguistic diversity of farmworker communities, disparities in COVID-19 vaccination rates, and widespread exposure to key COVID-19 transmission risk factors, such as overcrowded housing and shared transportation to work. The assessments provide NCFH, CDC, and local communities with actionable findings about farmworkers’ experiences and recommendations on how to best meet their needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Phase 1 - CA: Monterey, Tulare and Kern counties; TX: Hidalgo and El Paso counties; NM: Doña Ana County; MS: Calhoun and Coahoma counties; FL: Collier County. Phase 2 - GA: Colquitt County; NC: Sampson County; CO: Weld County; NJ: Atlantic and Cumberland counties; WA: Yakima County.
Methods 
The FCCA methodology includes both a quantitative and a qualitative component and is based on the CDC’s rapid community assessment methodology.  ​
  • Quantitative component: Survey administered to approximately 150-350 farmworkers in each community examining farmworkers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the COVID-19 emergency with a focus on vaccination coverage, as well as structural factors that CDC and other federal, state and local agencies and organizations could address, such as barriers to safety, healthcare access, and COVID-19 testing and vaccination.  
  • Qualitative component: In-depth interviews with farmworkers and employers, and key informant interviews (KIIs) with agricultural experts or representatives of farmworker-serving organizations. Interviews explore farmworkers’ attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines and preventive measures, access to health care and services for farmworkers, and the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural employers, service providers, and farmworkers’ work, family, and daily life.   
Additional details on methodology can be found in the executive summary below.

Phase 2
​Community Assessment Reports

Colquitt County, GA
Sampson county, NC
Weld County, CO
Atlantic & Cumberland Counties, NJ 
Yakima county, WA - 

Phase 1
​Community Assessment Reports

Executive Summary
This executive summary provides a brief overview of the findings from the first phase of a series of five FCCAs conducted from August to December 2021.
Monterey, Tulare & Kern Counties, CA
Hidalgo County, TX

Partners

We are deeply grateful to Elizabeth Marquez and Claudia Garcia for their assistance in providing highly insightful knowledge about the local farmworker populations in their service area, and for assisting in identifying and interviewing farmworkers for this assessment.
El Paso County, TX & DoÑA Ana County, NM
Calhoun & Coahoma Counties, MS
Collier county, FL
Findings Snapshot
This publication was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $4,000,000 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.