Socially beneficial and notably efficient: Fruits of Employment program

Nuveen’s Fruits of Employment (FoE) initiative gives individuals with disabilities access to competitive employment across four custom-farmed properties in California, Oregon and Washington. The initiative trains and employs workers with disabilities in the same job functions as other employees – an important effort considering that in the U.S. only 41% of people with disabilities are employed, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

As of March 2019, the program had 34 active workers, many of whom have worked on the farms since the start of the initiative in 2009. For a third of these employees, it was their first time having a job. The FoE program offers many benefits to farm managers, namely stable employment: unlike guest workers who are in the U.S. mainly during harvesting season, FoE workers are employed year round, helping to reduce labor shortages.

Overall, Nuveen’s Fruits of Employment initiative provides mutually beneficial outcomes for both farmland employers and employees, through the promotion of inclusive employment and decent work for all. Watch the video to explore the Fruits of Employment program, and to learn more about Nuveen’s progress in achieving numerous sustainability goals across our global farmland assets, view our latest Farmland Sustainability Report .