California is expanding support for farmworkers through the Rural Strategic Engagement Program
Farmworker Awareness Week
Blog post: March 27, 2026
California is deepening its ongoing commitment to the farmworkers who feed the nation and sustain our agricultural economy.
Through the Rural Strategic Engagement Program (RSEP), the Labor & Workforce Development Agency is transforming how state services connect with and support California’s agricultural workforce.
The goal of RSEP is to strengthen coordination between LWDA’s departments and our community partners and to expand in-person service delivery to ensure California’s farmworkers have access to state services, protections, and critical resources.
Strengthening service through cultural competency
Group photo from Cultural Competency Training.
In February, the first regional Cultural Competency Training for Indigenous Farmworker Engagement was held in Monterey County. As a follow-up to a statewide training in September, this Central Coast regional training brought together teams from the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB), Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), and Employment Development Department (EDD) to deepen their understanding and sharpen the skills needed to engage respectfully and effectively with California’s diverse farmworker communities. Participants also collaborated on strategies to apply these learnings to their work.
“This training is a critical step in building the trust and understanding necessary to truly serve California’s farmworkers,” said California Labor Secretary Stewart Knox. “Strengthening our staff’s cultural competency and coordination between LWDA’s departments, we are ensuring that farmworkers can access state services and protections, regardless of their background or location.”
LWDA Secretary Stewart Knox speaking to participants at the Cultural Competency Training.
The training curriculum was developed with partner organizations including the UCLA Labor Center, Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño (CBDIO), Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), and California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. The training examines the unique challenges indigenous farmworkers face.
“Indigenous farmworkers make up a third of California’s agricultural workforce. This training deepened our staff ‘s knowledge of their histories, languages, and challenges they face in the workplace. By bringing our staff together on a regional basis, we are building their ability to coordinate on a local level to better serve indigenous farmworkers in the Central Coast.” — LWDA Deputy Secretary of Agriculture & Immigrant Workforce Sebastián Sánchez
Bringing services directly to farmworker communities
In parallel with staff training, RSEP continues to provide one-stop “no wrong door” clinics, including a clinic last month in Salinas. Outreach staff from LWDA, EDD, DIR (including Cal/OSHA and the Labor Commissioner’s Office), and the ALRB offered farmworkers direct access to state assistance and protection information. “RSEP clinics offer farmworkers and their families a vital and safe space to address issues such as unsafe working conditions, unpaid wages, and other labor concerns,” said Secretary Knox after observing the Salinas clinic. At the clinic, immigration and employment legal service providers are also present to provide consultation to workers on their options.
California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower presenting to farmworkers at the RSEP Clinic.
Cultural competency trainings and the ongoing RSEP clinics underscore California’s commitment to ensuring farmworkers and their families are supported and protected. Through enhanced department and agency coordination, strong community partnerships, and expanded in-person service delivery, RSEP is fundamentally improving how state government serves this essential workforce.
Group photos of partners from the RSEP clinic.
Learn more about RSEP
Further information about the RSEP can be found on the newly launched RSEP webpage on the LWDA website.