Seasonal Workers Research Articles

The management of Covid19 pandemic and its impact on migrant farmworkers in Italy: anthropological insights

PurposeTwo important measures concerning the management of the workforce were introduced in Italy during the COVID-19–related health emergency: the regularization of irregular migrants working in the domestic and agro-industrial sector, and the introduction of the health-pass requirement to access all workplaces. This article analyses the impacts of such measures on a specific category of workers: migrant farmworkers, notably racially subaltern, marginalized and exploited. Implicit ideological and normative assumptions underlying Italian policies to address the health emergency and related labor shortages raise important questions about the meaning of “life” and whose lives matter in emergency contexts, which this article aims to address.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on the case study of the informal settlements for seasonal migrant workers in the agro-industrial district of Capitanata (Apulia).FindingsBased on the aforementioned case study, this article shows that Italian measurs concerning the management of the workforce during the COVID-19–related health emergency resulted in various forms of blackmail to which migrant farmworkers were especially subjected, and increased their exploitability and “expulsability” from the labor market. In particular, it argues that the aforementioned measures resulted in significant shifts in the relationship between migrant farmworkers and the state, on the one hand, and between migrant farmworkers and employers, on the other.Originality/valueRather than promoting migrant farmworkers' social, economic and health rights, this double shift turned into increased oppression, exploitability and dependency on the employer.

The production of precariousness and the racialisation of Pacific Islanders in an Australian horticultural region

ABSTRACT Over the last ten years, temporary migration schemes in the horticultural sector have received increasing attention in the Global North. The often precarious conditions of such work have been recognised, however, little attention has been paid to horticultural workers with migration backgrounds who have gained permanent residency or citizenship in the host countries. Ethnographic fieldwork with Pacific farmworkers and their families with various migration statuses in Australia, including seasonal workers, irregular migrants, and permanent residents, revealed that precarious employment conditions in horticultural work impact Pacific people across and beyond different legal statuses, challenging the notion of a clear correlation between irregularity and precariousness. This includes the children of migrants with Australian citizenship who are often employed as casual farmworkers and find it difficult to secure any other work. We argue that their experiences are fundamentally related to their position as ‘racialised’ workers. This paper sheds light on this racialisation of farmwork and its implications for the experiences of Pacific people as residents and workers in regional Australia.

Canada’s Temporary Labor Migration Policy: The Case of Mexican Seasonal Agricultural Workers

The article analyzes Canadian temporary foreign worker migration policies through the prism of Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), one of the largest and oldest seasonal worker programs in Canada’s postwar immigration policies, whose main participants are seasonal farmworker migrants from Mexico. The article outlines the premises of Canadian labor migration policies and presents a brief history of Mexican migrations to Canada. Most importantly, however, it focuses on the functioning of SAWP, presenting the program’s positive impact as well as its shortages and failures through the lens of experiences of its Mexican participants. The summary of this text proposes certain reforms and changes to SAWP that might help eliminate some of the program’s deficiencies.

Pathways for advancing good work in food systems: Reflecting on the international Good Work for Good Food Forum

The crucial roles that workers, especially seasonal and migrant workers, play in our food systems have come under renewed attention in recent years. The coronavirus pandemic resulted in food work­ers being recognized as critical or essential workers in many countries. In 2021, this coincided with the UN International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV), highlighting the importance of horticul­tural crops to healthy lives globally. Yet, workers’ quality of life in this most labor-intensive form of food production is often disregarded, or in the case of the UN IYFV, misconstrued. The agriculture-migration nexus—on which food systems depend—remains recognized as a challenge, yet there is limited debate about how it could be ameliorated and a lack of articulation of desirable alternatives. While alternative food and peasant movements propose food system transformation and alternative labor futures based on agroecology, labor lawyers and other advocates propose regula­tion and formalization of workplace regimes to ensure fair working conditions. Most recently, a third pos­sibility has emerged from agri-tech innovators: a techno-centric future with far fewer agricultural work­ers. These three archetypes of agricultural labor futures (agroecological, formally regulated, and techno-centric) have the potential to leave food scholars and activists without a unified, coherent vision to advance. Addressing this gap, this paper reports and builds on insights harvested from the international Good Work for Good Food Forum, organized by the authors with the aim of shaping consensus on positive visions for work in food systems. About 40 scholar-activists across three continents discussed the current challenges facing food workers and crafted a collective vision for good food work. This vision is documented in the form of nine principles supported by a framework of seven enabling pathways. We conclude by em­pha­sizing the need for a people-centered incor­poration of technology and a re-valuation of food workers’ contributions to global food systems. We offer the vision as a collective platform for action to advocate for and organize with workers in food systems.

The ‘contract’ and its discontents: Can it address protection gaps for migrant agricultural workers in Canada?

AbstractCanada's Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program has often been portrayed as a model for temporary migration programmes. It is largely governed by the Contracts negotiated between Canada and Mexico and Commonwealth Caribbean countries respectively. This article provides a critical analysis of the Contract by examining its structural context and considers the possibilities and limitations for ameliorating it. It outlines formal recommendations that the article co‐authors presented during the annual Contract negotiations between Canada and sending states in 2020. The article then explains why these recommendations were not accepted, situating the negotiation process within the structural context that produces migrant workers' vulnerability, on the one hand, and limits the capacity of representatives of sending and receiving states to expand rights and offer stronger protections to migrant farmworkers, on the other hand. We argue that fundamental changes are required to address the vulnerability of migrant agricultural workers. In the absence of structural changes, it is nevertheless important to seek improvements in the regulation of the programme through any means possible, including strengthening the Contract.

Reaching into the Community to Interpret Labor History

Reaching into the Community to Interpret Labor History

Seasonal agricultural workers' personal well-being and preventive behaviors about Covid- 19 in Turkey

BackgroundSeasonal agricultural workers working and living in inappropriate sanitary conditions are at great risk for public health. This study aimed to determine the relationships between the sociodemographic variables and life satisfaction of seasonal agricultural workers, and their knowledge, risk perception, and protective behaviors about the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study, that included agricultural workers who are 18 years of age or older and worked seasonally in Yozgat, Turkey, during the period between August 2020 and October 2020. The well-being level was measured using the Personal Wellbeing Index-Adult form (PWIA). The data were collected using the face-to-face survey method and with 739 workers who voluntarily participated in the research.ResultsAll participants disclosed having insufficient information about Covid-19 and indicated their peers and television as their sources of information. The vast majority of the workers stated that they complied with the mask mandates, social distancing, and hand hygiene. No correlations were found between knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about Covid-19 and the level of wellbeing. The mean PWIA score of the workers was low (53.7) while they were mostly satisfied with their personal relationships (96.6) and health (76.1). The multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that being male (β = 0.245) and not having an ongoing health issue (β = 0.689) were associated with more PWIA; on the other hand, having more children (β = -0.52) was related to less PWIA.ConclusionsThe well-being level of seasonal workers was lower while it was not associated with knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about Covid-19.

Smart shrinkage and multi-locality – The appeal of hope, illustrated through Puolanka, a rural municipality in Finland

ABSTRACT Our contribution discusses two phenomena – shrinkage and multilocality – in relation to the big picture of urbanisation and to the prevailing regional policy discourse that is very growth oriented in nature. Empirical material from Puolanka is used to illustrate the key tensions of this constellation. We ask: Does the concept of ‘smart shrinkage’ resonate in the context of a shrinking municipality? Is it possible to operationalise shrinkage at the local level? A group of artists has been experimenting with a very peculiar approach by branding their local pessimism (!) and thereby sympathetically ridiculing the growth orientation of a locality that shrinks fast by numbers. What about ‘multilocality’? Is it a true opportunity to increase the quality of life in depopulating regions? Like many rural municipalities, Puolanka hopes that the holiday homes and e-work will contribute to local vitality. We propose that other somewhat surprising forms of multilocality may be even more significant. Those include the global multilocalities of the entrepreneurs with immigration background that keep the last restaurant business up and running, as well as the seasonal workers in agriculture and tourism. Also, the pessimistic artists can be seen as multilocals. The peculiar connectedness that these young people have with Puolanka is of high symbolic value.

Feeling at home: An explorative field study of seasonal agricultural workers with different (dis) location backgrounds

The sense of feeling at home by people ‘on the move’ was inquired through an adaptation of the homemaking approach. Two groups of people who make their living by working in agricultural sites (internally mobile seasonal agricultural workers and internationally displaced migrant workers) were reached out to examine associations between feeling at home, social interactions, perceived degradation, and subjective well-being. Results showed that both worker groups (seasonal and displaced workers) felt at home despite precarious working and living conditions. Expectedly, feeling at home was predicted significantly by social interactions with others; however, the type of interactions also determined the direction of the effects. While within-group interaction (binding ties) predicted feeling at home positively, across-groups interaction (bridging ties) predicted it negatively for both groups. Additionally, perceived degradation and subjective well-being moderated the effect of feeling at home partially: the effect emerged for a cross-groups but not for within-group interactions. In conclusion, the notion of binding and bridging ties could help to attain an increased explanatory power rather than contact theory alone in understanding the patterns of feeling at home.

The relationship between mental well-being and healthy lifestyle behaviors of seasonal agricultural worker women

The study was conducted to examine the relationship between the mental well-being of Seasonal Agricultural Worker (SAW) women and their Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors (HLBs). The study utilizes the descriptive research design. The study was conducted between November 2020 and December 2020 in Turkey, in a Family Health Center-supervised region, where SAW women were concentrated. The sample includes 355 women. The Personal Information Form, Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale II (HLBS II) were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics (number, percentage, mean), independent samples t-test, Mann Whitney U test, one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal Wallis analysis, Pearson Correlation Test, and Simple Linear Regression Analysis were also used in the analyses of the data. There was a positive, strong, and significant correlation between mental well-being and HLBs of SAW women. There was a significant difference between the WEMWBS total mean scores of SAW women according to their economic status and family type. There was a significant difference between the total mean score of the HLBS II according to income level and family type of SAW women (p<0.05). As a result, it has been determined that there is a relationship between the HLBs of SAW women and their mental well-being. It may be recommended to organize training programs and provide mobile health services to enhance HLBs and increase the mental well-being levels of SAW women.

ASSESSMENT OF SEASONAL AGRICULTURAL WORKERS’ MENTAL HEALTH

Background and Aim: Mental health of the seasonal agricultural workers (SAW) can be negatively affected due to working under hard conditions, being exposed to discrimination from time to time, working in a socially isolated field, and having insufficient social support resources. This study aimed to assess the mental health of the SAW. Method: This study was conducted from June to September 2021 in a family health center region in a province located in the southeast of Turkey in which the SAW intensely populated. The study sample consisted of 300 seasonal agricultural workers. Data were collected using an introductory form and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) through face-to-face interviews. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.00 program, descriptive statistics (numbers, percentages, means), independent samples t-test, the Mann Whitney-U test, variance analysis, and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: The participants’ mean subscale scores were 8.08±6.39 for somatization, 15.81±9.15 for depression, 11.79±8.32 for anxiety, 8.84±5.18 for hostility, and 14.10±8.13 for negative self-concept. Their mean index scores were 1.10±0.58 for the Global Severity Index (GSI), 24.44±11.09 for the Positive Symptom Total (PST), and 2.08-0.53 for the Positive Symptom Distress Index (PSDI). A statistically significant difference was found between anxiety and depression subscales by gender; somatization subscale by marital status, education level, presence of chronic diseases, and duration of employment; and negative self-concept and hostility subscales by presence of chronic diseases (p<0.05). Conclusions: It can be concluded that the SAW had psychopathological tendencies. Therefore, it is critical to periodically assess the mental health of the SAW and to develop coping strategies regarding the problems they experience. Keywords: Seasonal Agricultural Worker, Mental Health, Psychological Symptom.

Революция 1905-1907 гг. в воспоминаниях крестьян Тамбовской губернии

The paper examines the memoirs of participants in the revolution of 1905–07 stored in the State Archive of the Socio-Political History of the Tambov Region (GASPITO). Fond 382 “Department of the Gubernia Committee of the RCP (B) for Studying the History of the October Revolution and the Party” has been analyzed. Due to scarcity of personal provenance documents created by peasants, analysis of the memoirs written in the Soviet era is of great importance. Most national and foreign scientists who studied similar topics mainly used the reports of the police department and other official documents. Peasant memoirs were rarely considered. The memoirs compiled in 1925 contain various data on the revolutionary movement in the Russian village in the early 20th century. The authors provided information on their origin, occupation, political beliefs, etc. Peasant uprisings, their orientation, and punitive actions of the government were described in sufficient detail. The relevance of the study is determined by the importance of comprehensive analysis of the Russian peasantry. When examining the memoirs, the author has used historical-comparative and retrospective methods. The key scientific principle is historicism. The article underscores special role of the “revolutionary turning point” generation representatives in the events of the first third of the 20th century. The majority of peasants who wrote memoirs was born at the turn of the 20th century and took an active part in the revolution of 1905–07. Generational history provides a deeper understanding of the motivation of the young people who became organizers of the agrarian riots. The article focuses on the impact of the revolutionary events on the behavioral practices of rural society. It cites instances of revolutionary agitation of peasants by seasonal workers. Relations between peasants and landlords are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of peasant uprisings. The research showcases great generational gap in the village. The youth, by virtue of its inherent psychosocial qualities, was the most important catalyst for the revolution. There was characteristic influence of marginal elements on the peasant community. The study shows that memoirs created in the Soviet period were characterized by politicization and ideological predestination. However, these shortcomings do not reduce their importance for understanding the peasant worldview. The memoirs of direct participants point to continuity of the events of 1905 and 1917.

Guards in the big city: the role of the Life Guards of the Grenadier Regiment in the life of St. Petersburg in 1815-1825.

The article examines the history of the Life Guards Grenadier Regiment in the context of the urban history of St. Petersburg. The author explored everyday contacts that arose between the inhabitants of the city and the military personnel of the regiment. According to the author, the regiment had a significant impact on city life. The regiment used city resources such as bridges, churches, finances to renovate the barracks. On the other hand, the soldiers of the regiment were seasonal workers in St. Petersburg. The soldiers of the regiment helped the city to deal with natural disasters. Soldiers' families played a significant role in maintaining social ties between the Guards Regiment and the city. for guards officers, service in a big city was very expensive. For the first time in historiography, the author explores the issue of financial support that Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I provided to guard officers.

Black Barbadians in Canada: A Growing Migration, 1966–1990

Canada is considered a multiracial nation. An important part of its multiracial composition traces back to the 1960s and early 1970s, with changes to immigration regulations and the implementation of its multicultural policy. Interwoven in this multiracial mosaic called Canada is the Black person, whose presence in Canada dates back to the seventeenth century. Yet Black people in Canada are usually treated as newcomers. Among them were Black Barbadians. They came for various reasons, particularly the restructuring of Canada’s immigration policy in the 1960s. Prior to the 1960s, Canada’s immigration policy was restrictive, especially toward Black and Asian people, with Black people seldom meeting the criteria to gain entry to the country. This paper explores two key reasons that motivated Black Barbadians to migrate to Canada in increased numbers from the mid-1960s to 1990. Specifically, it argues that fundamental changes in the 1960s to Canada’s discriminatory immigration policies and the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program were integral in motivating Black Barbadians to choose to migrate.

EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 AND ITS RELATED LOCKDOWN ON FOOD SECURITY AND JOB LOSSES: A CASE OF KUMASI, GHANA

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related partial lockdown have become a multiplier of vulnerability, compounding threats to food security and job losses whiles opening up weaknesses to food systems. The study’s objective was to examine the impact of COVID-19 disease and its related lockdown on food and nutrition security and job losses. It was carried out in Asokwa Municipal. The site forms part of the cities in Ghana to experience the partial lockdown, hence its selection. Both primary and secondary data collection formed part of the study. Fifty respondents were selected as sample size by means of the purposive sampling technique. The study employed a qualitative approach with a descriptive and narrative posture to the presentation, discussion and analysis. An open-ended questionnaire and a checklist were used for data collection through semi-structured interviews. It was discovered from the results that food and nutrition insecurity, job losses and income reductions were still very common, affecting the participants livelihood. Disproportionally affected were households whose income comes from farming, transporting, informal labour as well as marketers. It was concluded that food and nutrition insecurity and job losses were not outside the impact of COVID-19 and its associated partial lockdown. Food and nutrition security is a global concern in present circumstances. The food supply chain has been hit hardest by COVID-19, causing food insecurity of the most vulnerable segment of the society. Also, most of the migrant, informal and seasonal farm workers were losing their jobs which affected their demand for food. Therefore, the government should step up the measures to control the pandemic without disturbing the food supply chain. The development and the use of online marketing strategies where people can make order of various products should be promoted.

Аспекты аграрной политики развитых стран по регулированию занятости , доходов , миграции в сел ьской местности в контексте социал ьной за щиты сезонных рабочих

Social policy is the most important component of the development system of the agroindustrial sector of any country. Seasonal employment of agricultural workers is one of the key issues of social regulation of the sector. Currently in Russia there is no definition of this category of workers at the legislative level, nor are there any measures for their social protection. This factor is an obstacle to the effective development of the industry. In this regard, in order to substantiate the need to strengthen social support for domestic seasonal workers, the article examines international experience in this area. As an example, countries with similar economic and geographical location and with labour shortages in agriculture are selected – the European Union, Canada, the United States of America. The analysis of the practice of attracting migrant workers from abroad for seasonal work shows that such regulation of employment is associated with certain social and financial risks and, in a crisis situation, poses a threat to the country’s food security. Taking this into account, the author presents arguments in favour of attracting domestic labour resources for seasonal work in Russia. At the same time, the need to provide social guarantees, benefits and targeted support for this category of workers within the framework of the current social policy in agriculture was noted. The implementation of these measures will contribute to increasing the employment of the population in agriculture and, as a result, to the smooth and efficient functioning of the industry.

German capitalism and migrant work in meat. How COVID allowed to break the path-dependent labour exploitation

Major COVID-19 outbreaks in slaughterhouses brought the extent of migrant labour exploitation in the German meat sector to the limelight. Adopting a historical-institutionalist perspective, we argue that the COVID-19 pandemic marked a critical juncture for migrant workers, albeit with highly contingent effects. Only in the meat sector could political salience enable a far-reaching policy response. By contrast, precisely to avoid any broader effects of the pandemic in terms of food supply, the social protection of seasonal workers was temporarily even lowered. While the reform’s precise effects remain to be seen, our comparative case study shows that member states have regulatory options to shape the effects of European integration. We understand the reform resistance and path dependence of the meat sector in the context of German capitalism’s export dependence. While undervaluation in the Euro regime is normally discussed as cause for wage restraint, underpaid migrant work as analysed in this paper appears as an additional explanation.

Study Of Tthe Problems Faced By The Children of Seasonal Workers In The Educatio

Study Of Tthe Problems Faced By The Children of Seasonal Workers In The Educatio

Auswirkungen der Corona-Pandemie auf die demographische Struktur Österreichs

The COVID-19 pandemic and the policy measures imposed to contain the virus affected people’s health and lifestyles. Based on data available to the Federal Agency “Statistics Austria”, this paper asks about the impact of the pandemic years 2020 and 2021 (and partly beyond) on the Austrian demographics and population. It shows that mortality increased significantly during this period but varied by waves of infection also with the introduction of different policy measures (e.g., lockdowns). There are also changes in the number of births over the course of the pandemic, which can be interpreted through insecurities related to lockdowns and vaccinations. People who wanted to marry or get divorced during the pandemic years were confronted with closed offices and restrictions on holding celebrations, which is why there were significantly fewer marriages and divorces. International migration dropped significantly, especially in the spring of 2020, when European and global mobility was severely restricted, with differences between people of different nationalities. This was also reflected in the number of asylum applications filed in Austria. Migrations within Austria were strongly reduced during the first lockdown in 2020, all further lockdowns had less influence on them. However, in 2020 and 2021 there were several phases in which more people moved from urban to rural areas than before the pandemic. The number of registered secondary residences – which took on new relevance in the context of mobility restrictions and the use of home offices – also changed: overall, their number increased during the pandemic, but in many municipalities, deregistrations of seasonal workers were also noticeable.

Agrifood systems knowledge exchange through Australia‐Pacific circular migration schemes

AbstractPacific Island workers contribute significantly to Australiaʼs agriculture and food security through the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP). Previous studies show the economic benefits of the SWP to both Australian agro‐industries and Pacific workers. However, there are limited studies about the agricultural knowledge exchange that occurs via the circular migration enabled by the SWP, and the experiences of workers and employers as agricultural knowledge holders. With the SWP merged into the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme, there is an opportunity to help define how circular migration is both an economic and agricultural development policy. In this paper, we present findings from interviews with 63 workers (from Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu) about agricultural knowledge and skills acquired and exchanged via SWP participation. We provide a discussion of opportunities for knowledge exchange in international labour mobility, and areas of future research in circular migration.