US EditionIn a California farming region, researchers are mapping rural heat to protect farmworkers
SDSU researchers found Southern California farmworkers face extreme heat over 123 days yearly, prompting new heat stress interventions to improve safety amid rising temperatures.
- San Diego State University researchers are mapping rural heat in the Imperial and Coachella valleys to locate extreme-heat areas affecting farmworkers using satellite imagery and wet-bulb globe temperature data on Oct 24, 2025.
- Since the start of the 20th century, California has warmed almost 3 F , and seven of the last eight years through 2024 were the warmest on record, with Southern California heating twice as fast as Northern California.
- Body sensors and year-round sampling from about 300 farmworkers revealed extreme conditions, with about 123 days over 95 F, informing rest-break recommendations, said Sagar Parajuli.
- Despite California heat rules, enforcement is weak and researchers found farmworkers in Imperial County, California, are not getting enough rest breaks, with Nicolas Lopez-Galvez warning `Workers could potentially be dying or having some serious issues.`
- Irrigation both cools daytime temperatures and raises nighttime humidity in affected areas; researchers plan to expand into California's Central Valley and Yuma, Arizona, noting the Imperial Valley produces two-thirds of winter vegetables consumed nationally.
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LancasterOnline
Independent EspañolIn the summers, the sky is completely black when Raúl Cruz arrives at this reed of Imperial Valley to begin his journey. He cuts, cleans and ties the harvest, and takes precautions at dawn. It is a hard job, but also...
Why Southern California's farming regions are becoming deadly hotspots for farmworkers
In some of the most agriculturally rich regions in the U.S., researchers from San Diego State University are working to understand how climate change is affecting heat in rural areas and the farmworkers who toil in them.
In a California farming region, researchers are mapping rural heat to protect farmworkers (World)
In the summers, the sky is jet black when Raul Cruz arrives at this 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 thi...
Associated Press News
In a California farming region, researchers are mapping rural heat to protect farmworkers
In some of the most agriculturally rich regions in the U.S., researchers from San Diego State University are working to understand how climate change is impacting heat in rural areas and the farmworkers who toil in them.
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