EPA Awards Funding to Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs for Farmworker Pesticide Training in New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico

 U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Awards Funding to Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs for Farmworker Pesticide Training in New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico

NEW YORK (November 19, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 office is excited to work with the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP) which will receive up to $500,000 annually to conduct pesticide safety training across the country over the next five years. With EPA funding, AFOP will administer this grant to provide occupational health and safety trainings to migrant and seasonal farmworkers in more than 25 states including New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico.

“EPA is pleased to continue working with the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs as we work toward our common goal of protecting our farmworkers and their families,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Alexandra Dapolito Dunn. “This exciting partnership complements our Agricultural Worker Protection Standard perfectly and will develop national pesticide safety training, education, and outreach for farmworkers and their families in rural agricultural areas.”

“AFOP is delighted to continue working with EPA to provide pesticide safety instruction to the nation’s farmworkers. Together with EPA, we touch real lives by empowering agricultural workers with the knowledge they need to better protect themselves, their homes, and their families from pesticide exposure,” said AFOP Executive Director Daniel Sheehan. “Agriculture is ranked consistently as one of, if not the, most dangerous of occupations. Through EPA’s support, AFOP is able to help make that job a whole lot safer.” 

As the recipient of the cooperative agreement, AFOP will continue to enhance safe working conditions for agricultural workers at local, state and national levels, with targeted outreach to low-income, low-literacy, and non-English speaking farmworkers.

AFOP partners with local pesticide training providers to address the needs of farmworkers and facilitate access to pesticide safety education. In the new cooperative agreement, AFOP expects to expand their reach and partner with Pathstone Corporation in New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico.

Through its previous 2014-2019 cooperative agreement with EPA, AFOP trained 37,000 farmworkers and 1,000 children on pesticide safety. This work was made possible through EPA’s National Farmworker Training grant program which focuses on training educators to teach agricultural workers and their families how to reduce the risks from pesticide exposure.

For more information, visit EPA’s Pesticide Worker Safety Cooperative Agreements webpage.

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