Our Story
MIHA stands for “Migrants’ Intersecting Experiences with Housing in Agriculture.”
Migrant farmworkers’ housing challenges are well-known, and were made even more visible during the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet little policy changes have been seen to ensure adequate and dignified housing for migrant agricultural workers since the start of such programs (e.g. the SAWP, TFWP – agricultural stream). Over the past few years, the federal government has asked for recommendations and consulted with various stakeholders to learn more about what changes are needed to improve housing conditions for workers.
On the heels of these initiatives, Dr. Caxaj and Dr. Weiler joined forced to further document the housing experiences faced by migrant agricultural workers, with a focus on two distinct regions: British Columbia and Ontario. Our approach has included strategies to ensure a diversity of testimonies within the population, and, to generate recommendations that align with the experiences and perspectives of migrant workers. From 2021 – 2023 we interviewed 135 participants, and through outreach at various events and forums engaged with hundreds of additional migrant farmworkers.
The progress we have made thus far would not be possible without the support of our collaborators and staff.
We are also grateful for the support to carry out this work through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada through the Insight Grant.
Meet the MIHA Team
Dr. C. Susana Caxaj
Principle Investigator
Dr. C. Susana Caxaj is an Assistant Professor in Western University’s Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing. Her area of research is focused on understanding the barriers, pathways and and support mechanisms that shape the health and social wellbeing of migrant farmworkers. Using both participatory and qualitative methods, she also studies anti-racism interventions approaches and practices in clinical and community settings. Current funded research projects include Migrants’ Intersectional Experiences with Housing in Agriculture (MIHA) and Partnered Research Evaluating Services with Migrants in Agriculture (PRESMA)
Dr. Anelyse Weiler
Dr. Weiler’s research explores the convergence of social inequalities and Dr. Weiler’s research explores the convergence of social inequalities and environment crises in the food system, with a focus on struggles for viable agrarian livelihoods, dignified migration, decent work, and resilient farm ecosystems. Dr. Weiler’s interdisciplinary projects have included community-based research on local food and migrant justice movements, the environmental and cultural politics of meat production, the revival of North American craft cider, food sovereignty and health equity, and comparative analyses of global farm labour-migration programs.
MIHA Staff
- Gabriel Allahdua
- Natasha Sofia Martinez
Similar Initiatives
The Partnered Research Evaluating Services with Migrants in Agriculture (PRESMA) project seeks to better understand the support landscape for migrant agricultural workers and contribute to extending and improving the services available.
The Migrant Worker Health Expert Working Group (MWH-EWG) was formed in April 2020 to address the needs of migrant agricultural workers (MAWs) in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. The MWH-EWG includes participation from academic and medical experts as well as clinical and social service leaders representing various key regions where MAWs are living and working.