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These are the migrants who plant and pick the strawberries in your supermarket

Palos de la Frontera, Spain (October 16, 2022) - Born in Senegal, Mamadou Diop is 52 and speaks more than five langauges. He lives in makeshift housing near strawberry and fruit farms (pictured in background), where he does seasonal work. He sends money back to his wife and children in Joal Fadiouth, Senegal.
Palos de la Frontera, Spain (October 16, 2022) - Born in Senegal, Mamadou Diop is 52 and speaks more than five langauges. He lives in makeshift housing near strawberry and fruit farms (pictured in background), where he does seasonal work. He sends money back to his wife and children in Joal Fadiouth, Senegal.

If you've ever had strawberries, there is a good chance they were grown in a province in southern Spain called Huelva.

Spain is the second largest producer of strawberries, behind the United States.

And the jurisdiction of Huelva is where 80% of the country's berries are grown, in an industry that is increasingly demanding.

The work is year-round and requires field workers who take on the repetitive task planting seedlings and then harvesting when ready. This job usually falls on migrants, many from Africa.

They describe challenging conditions in the fields and with their bosses, who are often slow to give them work papers. When they are not working, they have to worry about ducking the police and danger in a nearby settlement where most of them live.

Listen to our full report by clicking or tapping the play button above. Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.