AFOP Logo  Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs

 

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Our Mission

The Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs' mission is to improve the quality of life for migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families by providing advocacy for the member organizations that serve them.

The Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP) has been an advocate for migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the United States since 1971. The thread that binds the Association is the concept that training and education can provide the launching pad to a better and more stable life for the workers who plant, tend, and harvest the crops that Americans consume at their tables.

Accordingly, member agencies receive grants from the United States Department of Labor and other governmental entities to administer programs that upgrade farmworkers’ skills and provide essential education, including English proficiency for those whose native tongue is another language.

Services

AFOP serves its members by providing a vital link to the federal agencies that fund the services described above, often providing technical assistance and training to field staff via national conferences.

Farm work is extremely low-wage work and subject to dislocation caused by severe weather and crop failure. Most farmworkers earn less than $10,000 per year from what is often backbreaking and dangerous labor. Association members often are the agencies of last resort for many migrant and seasonal workers, providing emergency food, clothing, and other assistance. Most member organizations operate a variety of other programs, including Head Start, education, and housing counseling.

The Association also operates as a national AmeriCorps site under a grant from the Corporation for National Service. This program, known by the acronym SAFE (Serving America’s Farmworkers Everywhere) places AmeriCorps members at sites in 16 states from Maine to California. A supplemental grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency enables members to receive intensive training in pesticide safety, helping to ameliorate one of the major hazards that face adults and children working in agriculture. The SAFE members then train farmworkers, their children, farmers, and growers in the latest methods to avoid exposure to harmful pesticides. This program, operating since 1995, has trained over 218,000 people.

AFOP advocates for policies that benefit and protect agricultural workers. Through its newsletter, the Association communicates the latest facts and trends in the world of farmworker services and advocacy. Called the Washington Newsline, this publication is a valuable tool for farmworker organizations, AFOP member agencies, and policymakers.

The Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports its national staff, offices, and programs primarily from grants, membership fees, and contributions.

 


AFOP Logo  Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs
1726 M Street NW, Suite 800 • Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 828-6006 • Fax: (202) 828-6005

Send email to afop@afop.org with questions or comments about this website.
Last modified: 08/04/08