California ag survey gauges areas of concern for residents
A survey of California’s Bay Area consumers show they agree that agriculture is important to the quality of life and economy in California.
“We were very pleased to see that so many residents recognized the important work of farmers and farm workers, even before the pandemic,” Chris Valadez, president of the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California, said in a blog post about a February survey the association conducted.
In responding to the survey, 77% of the Northern California residents agreed that agriculture was “most” or “very” important.
The survey also polled residents in the state’s Central Coast growing region. Overall, residents in eight counties were surveyed.
A majority of survey participants also appear to understand issues that face farmers, including employment of guest workers through the H-2A program, according to the association. However, while 71% agreed guest worker programs are important to the state’s economy, 54% said they were concerned about the effects on the housing market. But the agriculture community shares that concern, according to the blog.
“While new farm worker housing projects along the Central Coast are in process now, we must continue to work to find innovative solutions to ensure adequate and safe housing is a priority for our community,” Valadez said in the blog. “The pandemic further underscored the need for more affordable housing in our region.”
The association said the survey results and conversations with media, government and consumers shows there is a want and need to give consumers more information about issues affecting agriculture.
“This survey will help GSA prioritize its attention and efforts on the issues of key importance to Bay Area and Central Coast residents,” according to the blog.
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