Honoring Farmworkers on International Workers' Day
On International Workers’ Day, We Stand With Farmworkers
Today, on International Workers’ Day, we honor the backbone of our food system: the farmworkers whose labor feeds our families and sustains our communities. In the organic movement (and agricultural movement more broadly), farmworkers are foundational. Their skill, knowledge, and commitment make our food not only possible, but better.
And yet, their voices are too often unheard, and in this political climate their lives are increasingly under threat.
Last week, eight immigrant farmworkers were arrested by armed agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Pleasant Valley Farms, a dairy farm in northern Vermont. As reported by Civil Eats, the workers ranged in age from 22 to 41. They were doing what so many others do across the country each day: working hard, quietly, and with little protection, when federal agents stormed the farm. This isn’t an isolated incident. It is part of a broader pattern of intimidation and fear targeting immigrant communities.
Raids like these don’t just harm individuals: they ripple through entire farming communities. They destabilize families, disrupt food systems, and make farmworkers afraid to access healthcare, education, or report unsafe working conditions. These workers deserve dignity, not detention.
As members of the organic movement, we cannot look away. Organic farming must stand for more than chemical-free soil, it must stand for justice. That includes economic justice and immigrant rights.
We’re grateful for our members like NOFA-VT, who show us how organic organizations can stand in solidarity with farmworkers and farmworker movements. We are taking this opportunity to lift up the essential work of organizations on the frontlines of farmworker justice every day, including:
Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, fighting for justice, safety, and dignity for farmworker women.
Agricultural Justice Project, promoting fairness for farmers and farmworkers in the food system.
Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP), advocating for education and economic opportunity.
Coalition of Immokalee Workers, leading innovative campaigns for better wages and working conditions.
And many more across the country who are organizing, educating, and resisting.
Fairness is one of organic’s principles. If we want organic to be worth sustaining, it has to be just and equitable, just as there have to be fair working conditions for organic farmworkers, and decent prices for farmers to pay for fair wages. NOC acknowledges that labor practices among organic farmers vary widely.
This May Day, let’s recommit to a food system that values the hands that harvest it. Let’s elevate farmworker voices and advocate for immigration policies that respect their humanity. Because there is no sustainable agriculture without justice for those who work the land.