What does AWC mean in FARMING & AGRICULTURE

The Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC) is a coalition of farms, agricultural associations, and farmworker advocacy organizations working to create meaningful and lasting reform for the nation's agricultural labor system.

The AWC works together to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would provide relief for both farmers and farmworkers. We believe that access to a legal and stable workforce is essential for our nation's agriculture industry.

You can get involved by joining one of our local chapters or simply by following us on social media. You can also donate to help support our mission and spread awareness about our cause.

The current membership includes 17 agriculture associations, including American Farm Bureau Federation; 12 national farmworker organizations; 4 individual state-based farmworker groups; 5 coalitions of produce-growing states; 1 national fruit grower organization; 3 individual states' departments of agriculture; and 150 consulting members from over 30 states.

No, we are working worldwide — primarily in countries whose citizens have historically been excluded from participating in U.S.-style agricultural labor markets — to create new opportunities for workers seeking better wages and improved working conditions outside their home countries.

Our efforts are focused on creating fair environments for workers, improving wages, labor standards, increasing access to legal status in the United States, and ensuring that any solution includes farmer participation in decision-making processes regarding labor recruitment and management requirements.

We have proposed reforms like expanding existing visa programs such as H-2A visas, creating an experimental version of an undocumented worker visa program as a pilot program in select areas first before it moves nationwide if successful across two crop cycles, establishing a task force to look at how technology can be leveraged to reduce labor shortage needs while still providing quality jobs, updating rules on foreign contract employee recruitment and retention practices, reforming wage structure to reflect real domestic market demands while still being competitive with global wage levels where appropriate and designing enforcement mechanisms focused on safeguarding rights instead punishing workers or employers who are trying their best to comply.

Yes! The funds raised through donations go towards helping immigrants gain access to proper legal aid services, education about their rights as workers under current law, connecting them with resources such as job training initiatives designed to help them achieve long-term economic mobility goals.