Migrating for a better life
The seasonal labor system has struggled for decades to respond to the challenges faced by migrant and seasonal farmworkers. This pilot project, adopting a human-centered design perspective, aimed to propose an alternative approach to understanding their needs and improving the efficiency of public service delivery.
Initially, I was contacted by Indiana Legal Services to discuss the effective delivery of information to migrant farmworkers in the field who do not have proper access to information. In order to understand how they receive information regarding the public services available to them, I had to understand their contexts.
I, as the principal investigator, created and led a student research team, which included student interns working for Indiana Legal Services, and conducted fieldwork over two years. This project comprises four phases, each with specific goals. In the first phase of the project, which began in the Fall of 2013 when most migrant farmworkers left after the season, the design research team aimed to understand community interactions with migrant farmworkers in Elwood, Indiana. The second phase began in January 2014 and focused on identifying community assets and resources tied to public services available to migrant farmworkers. In the summer of 2014, during the third phase of the project, we were able to meet with migrant farmworkers and conduct a needs assessment for them.
In collecting data, the study team conducted rigorous fieldwork in rural areas of Indiana by visiting farms, labor camps, motels, and community sites where seasonal and migrant farmworkers spent their time outside of work. This included Hispanic grocery stores, laundromats, and churches frequented by them. The findings from the third phase indicated the need for further investigation into health risks among female migrant workers, as they were a vulnerable subset within the migrant population. In fact, there was no health data available for this specific group in the state, and the Indiana Department of Health requested an additional study on this population.
PHASE 1 September-December 2013
Tasks: Understand the community’s perception and interactions with migrant farmworkers. Collaborated with Indiana Legal Services and the Indiana Migrant, Seasonal Farm Worker Coalition.
Deliverables: An assessment report, 64 pages
PHASE 2 January-May 2014
Tasks: Identify the community assets and resources available to both migrant farmworkers and public service providers. Collaborated with Indiana Legal Services and the Indiana Migrant, Seasonal Farm Worker Coalition.
Deliverables: An assessment report including a Community asset map, 116 pages
PHASE 3 June-December 2014
Tasks: Identify social service needs from migrant farmworkers’ perspectives. Collaborated with Indiana Legal Services and the Indiana Migrant, Seasonal Farm Worker Coalition.
Deliverables: A consultation report including personas and integrative service models, 34 pages
PHASE 4 December 2014– March 2015
Tasks: Assess Reproductive Health Risks and Health-Seeking Behaviors among Female Migrant/Seasonal Farmworkers in Indiana.
Deliverables: A research report, 10 pages
This project offered government officials from the Indiana Migrant and Seasonal Farm Worker Coalition, responsible for delivering public services to farmworkers, an opportunity to review their service practices. The coalition members have utilized the personas and framework of the integrative service model developed from the research to align and collaborate their services and resources, addressing the complex needs of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
Role Principal investigator
Date September 2013- March 2015
Design Research Team Phase 1& 2: Jennifer Smerdel, Chin Powit Rungsangthiwakorn, Prianka Rayamajhi, Nick Walters, Kaelyn Donnelly, Phase 3&4: Ashley Bailey, Mary Bova, Ana Gracia
Project partner Indiana Legal Services, Indiana State Department of Health, Indiana Migrant/Seasonal Farm Worker Coalition, IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute
