Joesph Lee

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers are a unique population with structural barriers to being reached in health promotion efforts. Social media platforms and communication campaigns are increasingly used in health promotion efforts with farmworkers. However, digital exclusion, sometimes referred to as the digital divide, can limit the reach of social media interventions and campaigns. It is critically important for program planners to know the potential reach of different communications channels.

Digital exclusion is a challenge in rural North Carolina, where agriculture is the leading industry. Agricultural workers such as migrant and seasonal farmworkers are disproportionately impacted by digital exclusion. As part of an effort to address digital exclusion, funders and state agencies in NC have promoted the development of county and regional plans for digital inclusion. From July 2023 to July 2024, we identified a total of 30 digital inclusion plans that covered 50 of NC’s 100 counties.