Erika Borrelli

Erika Borrelli has a PhD from the University of Windsor. Over the past three years, she has conducted research on the Fair Farmwork Project at CERC Migration, supported by the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. Her work has centred on examining existing fair farmwork certification programs and evaluating their effectiveness in improving the living and working conditions of temporary migrant agricultural workers as well as assessing their relevance and potential application in Canada.

As part of this project, the research team explores a range of certification initiatives in the United States to gain insight into how they define, implement, and enforce ethical labour standards deemed "fair." To complement this analysis, Borrelli conducted interviews with workers employed at certified farms, allowing the team to assess firsthand the material benefits these initiatives have on their working conditions and overall well-being.

Building on these findings, the researchers have partnered with Fairtrade Canada, who are exploring the development of a certification initiative for Canadian farms. Their research is being used to inform this potential certification, ensuring that it meaningfully addresses the needs of temporary agricultural workers and delivers tangible social and ethical labour improvements.