From Scorching Fields to a Makeshift Settlement: Life for Migrant Workers in Puglia
Each summer, thousands of seasonal laborers travel to the southern Italian region of Puglia to harvest melons, apricots and cherries. After long hours under a relentless heatwave, many return to Borgo Mezzanone, an informal settlement that sprawls between the disused runways of a former military airfield near Foggia. The settlement, which has existed since 2005, swells to an estimated 4,000 residents during peak season, according to local officials cited by AFP.
Daily Reality in Borgo Mezzanone
The camp offers little relief from the extreme temperatures. Residents describe a landscape of corrugated‑iron shacks, dirt roads that turn to mud after summer storms, and a pervasive smell of roasted goat and burnt garbage. Natural shade is absent, and there is no reliable source of drinking water or sanitation facilities.
Florence Ekhatoro, a 47‑year‑old Nigerian woman who has lived in the camp for nine years, told AFP that “it’s very difficult, very hot, we can’t sleep at night.” Despite the hardship, she prepares fish and meat pies on a small grill outside her brick shack to earn a modest income.
Water collection is a labor‑intensive chore. Two water tanks supplied by the local authority serve the entire community; residents fill plastic containers using shopping carts, then boil the water before drinking or washing. Mamadou Sarafou Diallo, a 40‑year‑old Guinean worker, explained that many laborers return from the fields exhausted and skip washing altogether.
Health Risks Amplified by the Environment
Medical professionals working with the humanitarian organization Intersos have warned that the “desert‑like” conditions increase the likelihood of both physical and mental health problems. Dr. Camilla Faragona, who provides free health assistance through Intersos, noted that even young, healthy arrivals see their wellbeing deteriorate year after year due to prolonged heat exposure, dehydration and labor exploitation.
Francesca Palazzo, Intersos project manager in Foggia, said that patients frequently present with heat‑related ailments such as heat exhaustion, dehydration and skin infections. During a particularly severe heat wave, she recalled encountering a young man mourning the loss of stray puppies that had succumbed to the temperatures outside his hut.
Funding Shortfalls and Political Reaction
In an effort to improve housing for migrant agricultural workers, the European Union allocated approximately €54 million (about US$62 million) to Italy. Despite appointing a special commissioner, the Italian government failed to disburse the funds within the required timeframe, resulting in the loss of the entire amount.
Foggia MP Marco Pellegrini, a member of the opposition Five Star Movement (M5S), denounced the outcome as a “complete failure” of the Giorgia Meloni‑led coalition. In a ministerial question earlier this month, he described the living conditions in Borgo Mezzanone as “inhumane” and suggested that the government’s reluctance to spend the EU money stemmed from an unwillingness to regularize the status of many migrants, some of whom reside in Italy without legal permission.
The ministry responsible for immigration and integration did not provide an immediate comment when approached by AFP.
Voices from the Camp and Calls for Action
Residents repeatedly emphasize that the lack of basic amenities is not merely an inconvenience but a threat to survival. The combination of extreme heat, limited water, inadequate shelter and precarious employment creates a cycle of exhaustion and vulnerability.
Humanitarian groups such as Intersos continue to operate mobile clinics on the settlement’s periphery, offering free medical check‑ups, health education and psychosocial support. However, without structural improvements—such as permanent shading, reliable water supply and proper sanitation—the underlying problems persist.
As the summer harvest season approaches each year, the plight of Borgo Mezzanone’s inhabitants serves as a stark reminder of the human cost behind Europe’s agricultural supply chains and the urgent need for coordinated, funded solutions that uphold the dignity and health of migrant workers.
