Rich farm region becomes a deadly hot spot for workers

Researchers study how climate change is affecting Imperial Valley field laborers.

- DORANY PINEDA AND JAE C. HONG

A FARMWORKER adjusts the flow of water into a carrot field in Holtville, Calif.

In the summers, the sky is jet black when Raul Cruz arrives at an Imperial Valley sugarcane field to start his day.

He chops, cleans and bundles the crop, taking heed as the sun rises. It’s hard work, but so is starting at 4 a.m., even though he knows it’s the safest thing when temperatures in this California desert frequently soar into the triple digits.

“We just have to because we need to beat the heat,” said Cruz, who’s worked here for 15 years. They finish work by 9 or 10 a.m. to avoid the risk of heatstroke, he added, but when heat starts creeping up around 8 a.m., “mentally, it’s stressful.”

The hot climate that makes this Southern California region a farming powerhouse is also what makes it dangerous for farmworkers, who are increasingly vulnerable to rising temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal, oil and natural gas.

Researchers from San Diego State University are working to understand the health consequences of heat stress on farmworkers and where heat is most extreme in this rural landscape. They hope their findings can lead to a better understanding of rural heat islands, identify gaps in research and help develop interventions that bet ter protect them in the face of climate change.

“Workers could potentially be dying or having some serious issues,” said project leader Nicolas Lopez-Galvez, assistant professor in the School of Public Health at SDSU. “It’s better to start acting sooner.”

Since the start of the 20th century, California temperatures have increased, according to state and federal data. Warming has accelerated, and seven of the state’s last eight years through 2024 were the warmest on record.