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Ventura, CA – The County of Ventura’s Farmworker Resource Program has launched an interactive video podcast called “Raíz Informativa,” which airs in Mixteco, Zapoteco, and Spanish to deepen and expand connections with the Ventura County farmworker community. Raíz Informativa, which translates to “Informative Root,” is a monthly hour-long video program streamed live to Facebook that shares information, supportive services, and resources related to the agricultural industry and topics relevant to farmworker interests and needs. It is the first video podcast of its kind hosted by a government agency designed to reach farmworkers.
“Our Board and our County are committed to finding meaningful and creative ways to meet the needs of our most vulnerable community members, including farmworkers and indigenous community members,” said Chair of the Board of Supervisors Carmen Ramirez. “We are proud to lead the state with this innovative program and are thrilled with the outreach efforts of the diverse team. Providing culturally appropriate information in a language that is understood is critical. This podcast is an extension of the great work this team does in the community each day. Their multilingual outreach efforts during the pandemic have been vital in connecting farmworkers with crucial information and resources.”
The County of Ventura remains the first and only County in the state to administer a Farmworker Resource Program, which was approved by the Board of Supervisors and created in 2019 to serve more than 43,000 farmworkers throughout the County. Modeled from its success, in September 2022, Governor Newsom signed AB-941, introduced by Assemblymember Steve Bennett, which establishes a state grant program allowing counties to apply for funding to establish centers similar to the County’s program. The Farmworker Resource Program has helped identify needs among agricultural workers and indigenous populations and bridge gaps in social services, workplace relations, and language accessibility, among other areas.
Indigenous languages, including Mixteco and Zapoteco, are among indigenous non-written languages spoken by farmworkers across the state. With trilingual staff, the podcast is an expanded effort in communication to serve as a bridge of culturally and linguistically appropriate information and expand on existing in-person outreach, multilingual emergency communications, and audio and video communication on social media and messaging platforms including Whatsapp.
“Inspired by the great need to enhance our connection with the farmworker community, we created this new interactive podcast to provide additional visibility and resources to meet the needs of our community,” said Talia Barrera, Farmworker Resource Program Manager. “The podcast motto is ‘Para Usted, Con Usted y Por Usted,’ which translates to ‘For You, With you, and Because of You’. We continue to remain committed to creating diverse methods of communication to support and inform our farmworker community.”
During the first show on February 9, 2022, the Farmworker Resource Program received an overwhelmingly positive response. The show can be viewed live on the second Wednesday of every month from 4–5 p.m. in Spanish, Mixteco, and Zapoteco on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CondadodeVenturaAGFRP. Viewers may comment and ask questions in real-time by calling 805-290-5959. The next episode will be hosted on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.
Recently, the program featured guest speaker Euclides del Moral, Consul of Mexico in Oxnard, in a short video segment “Ultima Hora,” which shares timely information live between the monthly episodes. He shared important information on new communication platforms that the government of Mexico launched this week to help people connect and apply for services with the Mexican consulates throughout the nation.
The Farmworker Resource Program within the County’s Human Services Agency focuses on building trust and relationships with farmworkers, promoting and enhancing the agricultural industry in Ventura County, attracting farmworkers to Ventura County as a first-choice destination to work in agriculture, advising farmworkers of existing labor laws protecting them, and assisting farmworkers in navigating public agencies and seeking resolutions to workplace issues. The program offers a primary location in Oxnard and satellite offices in Santa Paula and Fillmore and extended evening and weekend hours to meet the needs of farmworkers throughout the County. For more information about the Farmworker Resource Program, visit www.vchsa.org/ag.
