The NC Farmworkers’ Project serves as the resource center, home base, and connection to care for more than 4,200 farmworkers in a 7-county region of southeastern North Carolina. We serve most of Harnett, Sampson, and Johnston Counties and parts of Wake, Wayne, Duplin and Cumberland counties. Our office is located in Dunn, NC. We visit farmworkers in their homes to assess their needs, engage in health education, share information and resources, coordinate access to medical care, and build community.
North Carolina is home to an estimated 100,000 farmworkers, who work in tobacco, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, Christmas trees, blueberries, and many other fruit and vegetable crops. Most farmworkers are exempt from minimum wage laws, and all are exempt from overtime provisions, despite long work days during peak harvest. Farm labor ranks as one of the top 3 most dangerous occupations in the United States. In addition to hazards in the fields, farmworkers and their families face unique burdens on their physical and mental health. North Carolina’s leading industry is agriculture, yet farmworkers are among the most underserved residents in the state. The NC Farmworkers’ Project seeks to work with farmworkers to address these disparities and build a better future for farmworkers and their families.