Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Wagner-Peyser Program (Employment Services)
All Program-Specific Requirements provided for the WIOA core programs in this section must be addressed for either a Unified or Combined State Plan.
- e. Agricultural Outreach Plan (aop). Each State Agency Must Develop an Aop Every Four Years as Part of the Unified or Combined State Plan Required Under Sections 102 or 103 of WIOA. the Aop Must Include--
- 1. Assessment of NeedProvide an assessment of the unique needs of farmworkers in the area based on past and projected agricultural and farmworker activity in the State. Such needs may include but are not limited to: employment, training, and housing.
- 1. Assessment of Need
- e. Agricultural Outreach Plan (aop). Each State Agency Must Develop an Aop Every Four Years as Part of the Unified or Combined State Plan Required Under Sections 102 or 103 of WIOA. the Aop Must Include--
e. 1. B. An Assessment of the Unique Needs of Farmworkers Means Summarizing Migrant and Seasonal Farm Worker (msfw) Characteristics (including if They Are Predominantly from Certain Countries, What Language(s) They Speak, the Approximate Number of Msfws in the State During Peak Season and During Low Season, and Whether They Tend to Be Migrant, Seasonal, or Year-round Farmworkers). This Information Must Take into Account Data Supplied by WIOA Section 167 National Farmworker Jobs Program (nfjp) Grantees, Other Msfw Organizations, Employer Organizations, and State And/or Federal Agency Data Sources Such as the U.s. Department of Agriculture and the U.s. Department of Labor (dol) Employment and Training Administration.
Current Narrative:
Worker data is difficult to find due to lack of funding from the U.S. Department of Labor to do specific research and surveys on this population. A national database would be very helpful in assessing needs of farmworkers and creating this plan. Based on numbers from the Oregon Agripedia and the Oregon Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Enumeration Study by Alice Larson, the industry counts on 90,000 migrant seasonal farmworkers to hand–harvest the crops each year. The predominant language of the MSFW is Spanish. Oregon agriculture depends extensively on a consistent migrant workforce. Many times, the migrant farmworkers that do come to Oregon face inadequate, unstable housing. The employers that provide good housing for its workforce often find their employees return the next season. Agricultural employers that do not have good housing for farmworkers are generally in a continuous struggle to find farmworkers to meet their harvest demands. Over the past year, complaints from farmworkers include not being paid or paid correctly, safety conditions, inadequate housing issues, sexual harassment and fear of retaliation by employers if they speak up about issues.