California allows children as young as 12 to work in agriculture, but many face punishing conditions, including extreme heat and exposure to toxic pesticides.

State enforcement of child labor laws is negligible. Over eight years, regulators issued just 27 citations and collected barely 8% of fines imposed.

Most young farmworkers are children of immigrants. These families are reluctant to complain about conditions for fear of being deported.

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. — The summer sun burned through the clouds in the Salinas Valley, where a bounty of berries and leafy green vegetables grows across this rich farmland renowned as the “Salad Bowl of the World.” Jose, a quiet 14-year-old, was squatting and bending over for hours with other workers in a sprawling strawberry field.

The pickers

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