Healthcare Closer to Home

Workers at Agrícola Ciari, an eggplant and green bean farm in Sonora, Mexico, identified access to healthcare as a pressing priority for their community. Limited nearby services, transportation challenges, and the need for more timely medical attention led workers to vote in 2019 to invest Fair Trade premium in the construction of a health clinic near where workers and their families live. Construction began that same year and has continued as a long-term community investment. In 2025, workers directed $75,500 USD of Community Development Funds toward the project, benefiting approximately 2,000 workers. The clinic offers nursing, general medical, and dental services, bringing primary healthcare within reach for families who previously had limited options close to home. The project also included the purchase of a van that provides transportation for medical appointments and emergency care, helping workers and their families reach hospitals and specialist services when needed. The difference this has made is visible in everyday experience. Julio Mateo Castro has used the transportation service since it was introduced and describes the impact on his family directly. Before the van, they often had to rent a vehicle to travel to the hospital. Through the project, he has seen faster access to care, lower costs on consultations and medications, and more reliable health services overall. "I am very happy with this project," he said. Taken together, the clinic and transportation service reflect a sustained commitment by workers to reduce the barriers that once made basic medical attention difficult to reach.