Langley, BC / February 6, 2023 – AgSafe has developed a collection of wellness resources and materials in support of British Columbia’s Spanish speaking agricultural workers titled “Mantengo”. These resources are part of AgSafe’s larger Mental Wellness in Agriculture initiative.

Supported by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, Mantengo is a collection of inter-related videos and resources in Spanish and English to help improve the mental and physical wellbeing of agricultural workers in B.C., as well as those guest workers who have traveled from outside of Canada and are working in various agricultural sectors throughout the province.

Mantengo resources include information, links to additional resources, and posters about fitness, nutrition and building community. A series of videos features personal stories and “Mantengo: The Journey” music video.

In English, the sentiment of Mantengo is to maintain your wellness. AgSafe encourages employees and employers to use the Mantengo resources jointly as a team, and to incorporate the resources into everyday workplace health and wellness programs. Employers will find the Mantengo resource user guide helpful.

Mantengo resources can be found on AgSafe’s website at agsafebc.ca/mental-wellness/mantengo. For more information about AgSafe visit AgSafeBC.ca

Wendy Bennett, AgSafe Executive Director -

“B.C.’s guest workers face many emotional challenges while working here. Loneliness, anxiety and depression often occur as a result of being so far away from their families and community. We developed Mantengo to make supportive mental and physical wellbeing resources more easily accessible for Spanish speaking workers and their employers.”

The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food –

“Workers whose native language differs from their employers are the pillars of Canadian Agriculture. Our investment in Mantengo supports both Hispanic workers and their employers by making essential information related to their well-being, mental and physical health more accessible.”

Muchos trabajadores que no hablan la misma lengua que sus patrones son la base de la agricultura canadiense. Nuestra inversión en Mantengo apoya a lors trabajadores hispanohablantes y sus patrones haciendo que la información esencial a su bienestar físico y mental sea mas accessible.

Hon. Pam Alexis, British Columbia Minister of Agriculture and Food –

“Guest workers on B.C. farms play a key role in our food system, so it’s important they have support in our province. Mantengo is a great new resource for Spanish speaking workers and their employers to help them take care of both their mental and physical health, while they work hard to put food on our tables and support their families.”

• The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year $3-billion commitment by Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen and grow Canada's agri-food and agri-products sectors. This includes a $2-billion commitment that is cost-shared 60% federally and 40% provincially/territorially for programs designed and delivered by provinces and territories.
• In Canada, close to 470,000 foreign nationals have a work permit that became effective in 2019
• The largest proportion (27.4 per cent) of temporary foreign workers in Canada work in crop production