Surry Medical Ministries: AVOID: Pesticides (EVITA: Pesticidas), Virtual Pesticide Safety Education for Farmworkers in Rural Western North Carolina

Project Goals

Agricultural Virtual Outreach for Inclusion and Development or AVOID: Pesticides (EVITA: Pesticidas) aimed to reduce pesticide risk and improve safety knowledge by:

• Delivering accessible pesticide education that fits farmworker schedules and mobile access realities
• Creating engaging Spanish-language learning materials that support retention and follow-up
• Building a pathway to additional WPS training through referrals to approved trainers
• Reinforcing education at the point of care through clinical screening and provider awareness
• Sharing lessons learned and outcomes with partners to support broader adoption

Virtual Education Model

SMM used farmworker feedback to choose platforms that are familiar, easy to access, and mobile-friendly. Education was delivered through:

• WhatsApp and Facebook groups for sharing links, reminders, and community support
• YouTube-hosted videos to reduce barriers to viewing and sharing
• A 10-question post-training evaluation to track learning and usability
• QR codes and simple access instructions for low-friction participation

Partnerships and Scalability

The project built and leveraged a strong network of statewide partners, including:

• North Carolina Farmworker Health Program (NCFHP)
• North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA)
• North Carolina Cooperative Extension
• Toxic Free North Carolina

Educational content formatting also supported reuse in broader training environments, including NCCHCA’s Relias platform, expanding potential for statewide reach.

Through virtual education, evaluation tools, clinical integration, and partner collaboration, AVOID: Pesticides (EVITA: Pesticidas) established a durable foundation for continued pesticide safety education. Participation fluctuated seasonally with H-2A migration patterns, but overall engagement increased during peak agricultural seasons, and the virtual groups proved useful beyond training, including as trusted communication channels during Hurricane Helene.

Post-training questionnaire results show strong positive outcomes: 79.5% of farmworkers either “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” that the training was clear and easy to understand, and 81.8% either “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” that they feel safer using pesticides after the training. These results demonstrate both strong accessibility of the materials and meaningful gains in confidence and perceived safety.

What Made This Project Special?

• Farmworker-guided design: Topics and delivery were shaped by early questionnaires and ongoing feedback
• Practical access: WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube matched real-world tech use and time constraints
• Built-in follow-up: WPS referral options supported next-step training for workers who needed it
• Clinical reinforcement: Provider screening linked education to care and enabled timely referrals
• Partner-ready outputs: Reports and materials were shared to support reuse and broader adoption 

“Surry Medical Ministries would like to extend its deep gratitude to the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC) for the opportunity to implement the AVOID: Pesticides / EVITA: Pesticidas Project. This project would not have been possible without PERC’s recognition that without agricultural workers, we collectively would not enjoy consistent access to food and other agricultural products that are consumed daily. We also greatly appreciate the belief that education for farmworkers can be improved, as it must be accessible, culturally and linguistically appropriate, and embedded within trusted individuals and platforms. By supporting smaller, community-driven projects, PERC has enabled Surry Medical Ministries to develop and revise an approach to virtual education that includes farmworker voices and adapts to the realities of their lived experiences.

We are grateful to Emily Ripken, who served as our project officer, for her mentorship and responsive support throughout the life of this project. Emily has a unique understanding of the realities faced by farmworkers and community-based organizations that serves her willingness to work together through periods of uncertainty. These are aspects of project development and management that are not common, although they are instrumental to project success. We know that Emily and PERC handle various community-based projects at once, so it is appreciated to receive such detailed attention.

We also wish to thank PERC leadership for believing in Surry Medical Ministries and in the value of investing in small, locally rooted nonprofit organizations, even when separated by geography (communicating/meeting across different time zones, weather patterns, and political changes). The trust placed in our team to PERC’s commitment to equity, innovation, and the understanding that meaningful impact often begins at the community level. Beyond funding, PERC’s partnership fostered an environment of communication, learning, accountability, and adaptability. Even amid programmatic changes and funding interruptions, PERC’s continued to reach out and engage our project, which allowed us to evolve, strengthen, and ultimately build a lasting foundation for pesticide education, virtual inclusion, and improvement toward farmworker health. We are honored to have been a PERC partner and are deeply appreciative of your trust and vision for agricultural workers.”