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.
