About

The Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP) has been an advocate for migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the United States since 1971. The thread that binds the Association is the concept that training and education can provide a launching pad to a better and more stable life for the workers who plant, tend, and harvest the crops that Americans consume at their tables.  

The National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) is the most successful job training program operated by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). It is a fiscally responsible program aimed at educating and training farmworkers into jobs that allow them to earn an income to sustain themselves and their families.

The 52 member agencies operate the program through competitive grants awarded by the United States Department of Labor. Members serve agricultural workers in 49 states and Puerto Rico—only Alaska has no program.

Most members also serve farmworkers in other ways, including Head Start, health, pesticide safety, education, ESOL, housing, and economic development.  Many operate emergency food and clothing banks in their efforts to assist very low-income workers and their families.

Farm work is extremely low-wage work and subject to dislocation caused by severe weather and crop failure. Most farmworkers earn less than $10,000 per year from what is often backbreaking and dangerous labor.