Current Events - Immigration and the Agriculture Labor Force

Immigration is yet another example of the impact that all spheres of policy can have on the food system. The majority of farmworkers in California’s rich Central Valley are immigrants from Mexico and Central America, and many of them are illegal – approximately 2.5 million people live without papers in California alone. The irony is that while politicians debate immigration reform, stricter laws, and building walls, our country relies on underpaid immigrants to bring cheap fruits and vegetables to the table. The reality is that we need them, and farmers are increasingly calling for solutions such as agricultural visas that ensure a reliable, stable workforce. 

A combination of factors is making it harder for growers to find enough labor to harvest: an aging workforce of immigrants currently in the US, increased border security that has deterred new arrivals, and the constant fact that Americans do not want these jobs. Last year alone, the tightened supply led to wage increases of about $1 per hour. Unfortunately, this doesn’t really mean better wages and labor conditions for farm workers. Business-oriented lobbying groups report that this increase makes it harder for farmers to compete with foreign produce (see last post about NAFTA and Mexican produce!), resulting in a $1.4 billion loss as imports fill the gap between production and growing domestic demand.

Farmers and the congressmen who represent them show growing support for legislation that would offer a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. While Republicans as a whole tend not to be in favor of immigration reform, those representing the Central Valley are some of its strongest supporters. They, too, argue that the current system means losing business to foreign competitors, not giving away jobs Americans want. Creating a legal framework for immigration could simultaneously provide a steady supply of labor, support domestic production, and ensure better treatment of workers.