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Designed for Disparity: The Structural Origins of Migrant Farmworker Health Inequities in Maryland, 1900‒1950.

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Title: Designed for Disparity: The Structural Origins of Migrant Farmworker Health Inequities in Maryland, 1900‒1950.
Authors: Ferrer, Elise, Sangaramoorthy, Thurka, Payne-Sturges, Devon
Source: American Journal of Public Health. May2026, Vol. 116 Issue 5, p657-664. 8p.
Subjects: Social determinants of health, Work environment, Wages, Racism, Migrant labor, Labor laws, Health equity, Agricultural laborers, Housing, Psychosocial factors, Agriculture, Industrial hygiene, Social isolation, COVID-19 pandemic, Poverty
Geographic Terms: Maryland
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has renewed attention to farmworker health disparities, prompting scholars to examine the structural determinants of agricultural worker health. Through analysis of archival materials, government documents, and period newspapers, we trace the evolution and institutionalization of migrant farm labor on Maryland's Eastern Shore from 1900 to 1950. We identify four key periods of transformation: the postemancipation agricultural adjustment (1900–1915), the rise of seasonal commodity agriculture (1915–1930), the response to mass displacement (1930–1940), and wartime labor management (1940–1950). At each stage, we demonstrate how agricultural industry interests deliberately cultivated conditions of racial stratification, worker precarity, and social isolation to establish and maintain the migrant labor system. Although contemporary public health frameworks often treat these conditions as independent social determinants of health, this history reveals them as essential, deliberately produced features of the migrant labor system itself. Understanding this historical context is crucial for public health practitioners working to address persistent health disparities in agricultural work, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened attention to farmworker vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of American Journal of Public Health is the property of American Public Health Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: The COVID-19 pandemic has renewed attention to farmworker health disparities, prompting scholars to examine the structural determinants of agricultural worker health. Through analysis of archival materials, government documents, and period newspapers, we trace the evolution and institutionalization of migrant farm labor on Maryland's Eastern Shore from 1900 to 1950. We identify four key periods of transformation: the postemancipation agricultural adjustment (1900–1915), the rise of seasonal commodity agriculture (1915–1930), the response to mass displacement (1930–1940), and wartime labor management (1940–1950). At each stage, we demonstrate how agricultural industry interests deliberately cultivated conditions of racial stratification, worker precarity, and social isolation to establish and maintain the migrant labor system. Although contemporary public health frameworks often treat these conditions as independent social determinants of health, this history reveals them as essential, deliberately produced features of the migrant labor system itself. Understanding this historical context is crucial for public health practitioners working to address persistent health disparities in agricultural work, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened attention to farmworker vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of American Journal of Public Health is the property of American Public Health Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.2105/AJPH.2025.308362
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 8
        StartPage: 657
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Social determinants of health
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Work environment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Wages
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Racism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Migrant labor
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Labor laws
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Health equity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Agricultural laborers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Housing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychosocial factors
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Agriculture
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Industrial hygiene
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social isolation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: COVID-19 pandemic
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Poverty
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Maryland
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Designed for Disparity: The Structural Origins of Migrant Farmworker Health Inequities in Maryland, 1900‒1950.
        Type: main
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            NameFull: Ferrer, Elise
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            NameFull: Sangaramoorthy, Thurka
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            NameFull: Payne-Sturges, Devon
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 00900036
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              Value: 116
            – Type: issue
              Value: 5
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: American Journal of Public Health
              Type: main
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