Community engagement is a critical component of Sustentar’s methodology to develop locally owned, relevant solutions to labor challenges. As part of this strategy, Sustentar is facilitating the formation and development of Community Circles – spaces for dialogue where community members and leaders can identify problems in their communities and develop and implement their own solutions to address them. Community circle members also help raise awareness to promote labor rights and address child labor and forced labor in their communities. Sustentar’s Community Circles convene members of communities surrounded by the tomato and chile pepper industries.
Once they are established, members of the Community Circles actively engage in discussions to identify community problems and labor-related challenges. To facilitate these discussions, Sustentar is implementing a participatory photo assessment. This is a powerful tool that empowers community members to document and reflect on common challenges through photography – such as barriers to education, health services, and public services, and poor working conditions. The captured images were used in Community Circle meetings to foster discussions and share personal perspectives on community needs.
This process revealed several challenges faced by the participating communities, such as limited access to education, which increases the risks of child labor. Additionally, for migrant and field workers, there is a lack of social services, such as childcare during working hours and social security. Many communities are also impacted by insufficient infrastructure to support basic services. For example, health disparities are prominent, as many indigenous populations do not have access to adequate healthcare services due to geographic and linguistic barriers.
Community Circle meeting in Chihuahua
In addition to identifying challenges, these assessments help Community Circle members to develop solutions and action plans. Throughout this process, Sustentar will link communities with civil society organizations and local governments that can offer specialized support or advocate for improved services and infrastructure. At the same time, we will work closely with Community Circles to build local capacity to address issues in the long-term, by providing training workshops relevant to their needs (for example, how to identify and apply for funding opportunities). Finally, we will also work closely with both communities and private sector partners to raise awareness on the risks of child labor, forced labor, and provide training on labor rights.
At the same time, Sustentar is working to ensure that community voices will also be heard and accepted by the nearby tomato and chile pepper companies and growers. To do so, our team is working closely with these companies and growers to improve their capacity to conduct detailed risk assessments and stakeholder engagement in their supply chains to strengthen dialogue and relationships between the private sector and surrounding communities.
To date, Sustentar has formed 9 Community Circles across Baja California, Baja California Sur, and Chihuahua, all of which are actively working to identify action areas.
Community Circle meeting in Baja California
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