The economic impact of migrant farm workers on Southeastern Michigan.

Abstract

AbstractThe views of farm workers and their employers continue to dominate what constitutes the farm labour problem, but a community perspective is emerging that emphasizes the impact of agricultural labour on rural areas. This chapter develops a model of migrant and seasonal farm worker (MSFW) labour as an economic development event to examine the economic impact of the MSFW labour market on the rural area of Branch, Hillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee, Monroe and Washtenaw Counties in southeastern Michigan, USA, in 1997. The study shows that the farm worker population represents a significant economic development event to the region and the state. It is estimated that the 1257 farm workers in the region contributed over $23 million to the regional economy, or $18 000 per worker. Because a diverse and large number of community interests seem to benefit from the presence of farm workers in the area, it is suggested that communities should consider taking positive steps to maximize the benefits to the local economy from the presence of migrant and seasonal farm workers. The findings also show that the economic contributions of farm labour to the local economy depend on whether the farm labour force is composed of domestic migrants, seasonal or foreign workers. The study results imply that the use of legal foreign workers through the H-2A programme or some other programme would reduce the positive impacts of this event to the community.