Heat on the frontline: Why Southeast Asia’s agricultural workers face a growing climate health crisis
TRAN NU QUY LINH, CORDIA CHU AND DUNG PHUNG |
As climate change drives more frequent and intense heatwaves across the globe, agricultural workers are increasingly bearing the burden of rising temperatures. A new systematic review by researchers from Griffith University, The University of Queensland and Hanoi University of Public Health,highlights just how serious the health risks have become — and why peri-urban and semi-urban communities in Southeast Asia deserve far greater attention.
The review examined 97 studies from 27 countries investigating the impacts of heat exposure on agricultural workers. The findings paint a concerning picture: heat-related illnesses, kidney damage, dehydration, physiological strain and workplace injuries are already widespread among outdoor labourers. Yet despite the scale of the challenge, much of the existing evidence comes from high-income countries, particularly the United States, which accounted for more than one-third of all studies reviewed.
This imbalance leaves major knowledge gaps in regions such as Southeast Asia, Africa and South America — areas where millions of people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods and where climate risks are intensifying rapidly.
Agricultural workers are among the world’s most climate-vulnerable populations. Long hours of physically demanding labour under extreme temperatures, often with limited access to shade, clean water, cooling or healthcare, create dangerous working conditions. In many low- and middle-income countries, these risks are compounded by informal employment, weak labour protections and economic pressures that force workers to continue labouring even in unsafe heat.
The review found that heat-related illness was the most commonly reported health outcome, followed closely by kidney problems. Repeated heat stress and dehydration have been linked to acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease, particularly among workers exposed to prolonged periods of high temperatures. Physiological strain — including elevated heart rates, dehydration and blood pressure changes — was also frequently observed.
At the same time, several critical health impacts remain poorly studied. Cardiovascular disease, mental health effects, sleep disruption, maternal health and heat-related mortality received far less research attention despite growing evidence that extreme heat affects nearly every system of the body.
For Southeast Asia, the findings are especially significant.
Rapid urbanisation across the region is reshaping where and how agricultural work occurs. Increasingly, farm workers are living and working in peri-urban and semi-urban zones — transitional spaces where expanding cities meet rural farmland. These areas are often overlooked in both urban planning and rural development policies, leaving communities exposed to overlapping environmental and social vulnerabilities.
One of the most pressing concerns is the urban heat island effect, where concrete surfaces, dense infrastructure and limited vegetation trap heat and raise temperatures, especially at night. For agricultural workers on the urban fringe, this can mean sustained exposure to dangerous heat both during and after work hours.
The review notes that while several Southeast Asian studies identified risks such as kidney strain, heat illness and physiological stress, none focused specifically on peri-urban agricultural workers. This gap matters because semi-urban communities frequently lack reliable water systems, green spaces, healthcare access and formal labour protections that could help reduce heat exposure.
The researchers argue that occupational health must become part of broader urban climate resilience strategies. Protecting agricultural workers will require more than simple heat warnings. Governments and policymakers need integrated responses that combine labour rights, public health planning and climate adaptation.
Potential measures include shaded workspaces, hydration protocols, community cooling centres, heat-health early warning systems and enforceable workplace safety standards. Singapore’s recently strengthened heat protection framework for outdoor workers demonstrates how governments can begin responding proactively to escalating heat risks.
The review also highlights the importance of regional collaboration through organisations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to improve monitoring systems, share knowledge and develop common standards for protecting vulnerable workers.
As climate change accelerates, agricultural workers will remain essential to regional food security and economic stability. Yet without targeted protections, they may also become some of the communities most exposed to climate-related illness and inequality.
The message from this research is clear: heat is no longer simply an environmental issue. For millions of agricultural workers across Southeast Asia, it is an urgent occupational health crisis demanding coordinated action now.
Professor Cordia Chu is a member of the Griffith Asia Institute and the Centre for Environment and Population Health (CEPH) at Griffith University. Tran Nu Quy Linh and Dr Dung Phung are CEPH alumni, now based at The University of Queensland.
This article is a synopsis of the journal article, Tran, N.Q.L., Chu, C., Phung, H., Nghiem, S., Le, H.T.C.H., Tran, T.-H. and Phung, D. 2026, ‘Heat exposure and agricultural workers’ health: A global systematic review with implications for peri-urban and semi-urban Southeast Asia’, Urban Climate, vol. 65, article 102811, doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2026.102811.