Each year, thousands of farm workers arrive in North Carolina under the H-2A program hoping to earn in months what would take them much longer in their own countries.
Among them is Alberto* Granados, 40, a worker originally from Hidalgo, Mexico, who, like some 25,000 other day laborers, migrates each season under the program for working in the field.
His destination is one of the state's most powerful industries: tobacco.
North Carolina occupies the first place nationally in the production of this crop, with about 260.1 million pounds per year, which represents approximately 60% of all tobacco production in the United States.
Behind these figures are thousands of stories, like Alberto's, who, with his own hands, contribute positively to the state's economic impact.
“I was 19 years old when I first came to the United States. Through an acquaintance, I managed to come and work in the state of Louisiana,” Alberto recalled. Enlace Latino NC.
“I was at the strawberry, cabbage, cucumber, pumpkin and watermelon harvest,” he commented.
Alberto explained that the process of coming to this country and working in the agricultural industry was not free and that, in many aspects, it remains similar today.
“It all depends on whether you have, for example, money and an acquaintance who can recommend you to an employer, who ultimately gives you the job. Once that contact is established, you have to pay for that connection,” he said.
“For the pay”
Alberto emigrated to the United States for "the pay" and for an economic difference.
“The work is hard, but you think: what you earn in Mexico in a month, you earn here in a week.” But after nine years of continuous work and long absences from his native country, Alberto’s plans changed when he got married.
“The contract was for nine months, from September to July. Since I was practically only in Mexico for two or three months, I thought, 'How am I going to be newly married and then leave again?'” he commented.
The opportunity in North Carolina
After a two-year hiatus, Alberto had the opportunity to come to North Carolina through a cousin who was already here.
“He told me, ‘You know what? There’s an opportunity.’ And that’s how I came here, in August,” he recalled.
Alberto arrived at a tobacco field, a new job where he didn't know what to do or how to do it.
"The main barrier was English "Because we worked directly with the boss. He told us what to do, and we sort of understood. But many times we did it 'by chance,' as we say, without really understanding," he mentioned.
“Unlike Louisiana, in this state I earned more, almost double per week, and the housing conditions were better,” he said.
Related: North Carolina launches English program for farmworkers
The first health impacts
Alberto soon understood the great differences between working in the strawberry and tobacco fields, in long days.
"Working in the tobacco industry is harder. "And then there's the heat, the chemicals, and the nicotine," he said.
Like almost all farm workers, Alberto was also a victim of poisoning from the green tobacco disease.
“I took home remedies that my colleagues prepared, like milk or oregano tea.” But also, for a while, I suffered from insomnia after long, hard days; I couldn’t sleep,” he recounted.
Climate change and healthcare
Regarding other issues that directly affect the work of agricultural workers, Alberto referred to climate change.
“Over the last five years, the temperature has been steadily rising. Yes, we have fresh water in the fields, but we no longer have the breaks we used to get,” he said.
“When we work at the plant, we start at seven in the morning. But when it’s tobacco harvest time, we start at five thirty or six in the morning, and we work until seven in the evening,” he said.
Alberto acknowledged public cases of workers who lost their lives. There is fear in the days ahead. extreme heat.
“We are all exposed. Something can happen to you at any moment. As they say, anything can happen anywhere, and we are all exposed to everything,” he commented.
“It takes us about forty minutes to get to a hospital, and if it’s an emergency, at night, get to a doctor "It's very difficult," he added.
Related: How can I avoid suffering from heat stroke if I work in the fields?
Much sacrifice and less pay
With the new salary scale For agricultural workers with H2-A visas, Alberto mentioned that many are reconsidering whether "so much sacrifice is worth it for less pay."
“Last year they were paying about $16 an hour, but this year the pay is $11. For some, five dollars might not be much, but for us it's quite a lot. We're talking about much less money a day,” he remarked.
“Many of my teammates have already decided not to come this season. Given the situation in Mexico, we have to keep looking for other options,” he said.
The return to Mexico and the cultivation of coffee
With a calm voice and gazing into the vastness of the countryside, Alberto thinks about his wife and children and about returning to his homeland in November.
“It’s difficult to come and leave them, because it’s been several months away from them. Luckily, now we have phones and we can communicate every day.”
Upon returning to Mexico, Alberto dedicates himself to his coffee farming business.
“I focus on working on that: clearing the land. I arrive in November, and December and January are the coffee season: it's cut, dried, and processed,” he explained.
“My family also grows coffee. During the harvest, we look for people to help us, and I take care of organizing the work and managing the production,” she added.
“The American dream is not what it used to be”
When he talks about young people who are thinking about migrating today, Alberto recalls that he too had that impulse at 19, but now his perspective is different.
“I would recommend that they study and pursue a career. Because the American dream is not what it used to be. It’s better to have a master’s degree or a doctorate than to come here and work like this,” he said.
She brings that conviction home as well. She repeats the same message to her children, with a mixture of hope and hope.
“Yes, I’m going to support financially "I will help my children in any way I can, but I ask them to be eager to study and to take advantage of school," he said.
Related: Food and cooking rights on the H-2A visa: Take this interactive quiz
The work leaves its mark.
Although he would like to imagine many more years in the countryside, Alberto acknowledges that the work leaves its mark.
“I would like to say for many more years, but the body changes. Thank God, I’m doing well right now, but I already have some pain, especially in my back and sciatic nerve,” he commented.
In tobacco farming, he explained, physical exertion is constant and the working days are long. The weight of the work and the repetitive movements eventually take their toll..
“In tobacco cutting, for example, The back pain is very intense“We walk a lot, our feet hurt, and at night we get cramps that wake us up and don’t guarantee any rest,” he concluded.
*Editor's note: To protect the identity and safety of the farm worker mentioned in this article, his name has been changed.
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