Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) play a critical role in industrial agriculture and have emerged as an ongoing environmental justice issue. These operations generate large volumes of animal waste that can contaminate air and water through runoff, groundwater infiltration, and the release of harmful gases like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. As a result, nearby communities face elevated risks of respiratory illness, water pollution, and decreased quality of life.
Furthermore, inadequate regulatory enforcement and limited access to legal resources can leave affected residents with few avenues for recourse, reinforcing systemic inequities. Given that the workforce for industrial agriculture is predominantly made up of Latinos, it is of utmost importance that we provide our communities with resources and tools to successfully advocate for cleaner, safer, and more just conditions for their work and families.
GreenLatinos and Socially Responsible Agricultural Project therefore created this glossary of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) vocabulary to improve language accessibility, especially for Spanish-speaking workers and residents. The aim of this glossary is to better educate the Latino community to participate in environmental and labor advocacy, engage in public discussions, and to navigate regulations that affect their communities. This is a living document, with the aim to continue to update, improve, and include new entries, as we know that these English to Spanish translations may differ based on country of origin and audience.
