ABSTRACT
Inthelastseveralyears,theplightofAmerica'sfarmworkershas onceagainbeeninthepubliceye.Homelessness,poverty,exploitative
worksituations,andinsecuritycharacterizetheexistenceofmanyfarm workersinthiscountry.Thisdismalsituationisinsharpcontrastto thehopefulnessofthelate1970s,whensignificantimprovementsin thelivingandworkingconditionsofCaliforniafarmworkerswere achieved.Unionization,thepassageofprotectivelegislation,andnew socialprogramsformigrantfarmworkersandtheirfamiliesallprom-
isedtheendofthe"farmworkerproblem"inthenearfuture.Yet fifteenyearslater,conditionsinthefieldshavedeterioratedsignificantly.Theimprovementsofthe1970shavenotbeenconsolidated;on
thecontrary,wageshavefallenandlivingsconditionshaveworsened dramatically.Themedianyearlyincomeofseasonalagriculturalworkers intheUnitedStateswasbetween5,000and7,500dollarsin1989-90,
and62percentofforeign-bornfarmworkersliveinpovertyasdefined bytheU.S.census.(CIRSRuralReport,vol.3,no.3,1990).
