“My family takes care of a raspberry garden for my employer. It normally takes about four months to grow the crop. When it’s time to harvest and sell, we share the profits equally with our employer – fifty-fifty after deducting costs like water bills, fertilizers, and other expenses. 

When we first started, he promised to pay for the seeds. But now, we’re required to cover half the cost of buying them. If we can’t produce any fruit because of unstable weather or other challenges, I’m left with no income. My residence and legal status are tied to this job, which means I can’t work for anyone else, even when the raspberry garden isn’t providing us with anything. 

Our income is low and unpredictable. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our employer gave us 5,000 baht to support the whole family – me, my husband and our two children. It wasn’t nearly enough.” – Female agriculture worker from Myanmar, Chiang Mai, November 2024