Bracero 2.0: Mexican Workers in North American Agriculture

Summary

This book explores the complex political and economic structures which underpin the role of Mexican workers in North American agriculture. The book draws on author Phillip Martin’s extensive experience and builds conclusions from statistical and survey data to provide an up to date portrait of the over five million Mexican agricultural workers in North America. 

Publisher’s summary

In Bracero 2.0, Philip Martin draws on decades of research and experience to explore the role of rural Mexicans in North American agriculture, as well as the implications for farm employers and farm workers, consumers, and the economies of North America. Martin assesses the historical and current demand for and supply of farm labor and the operation of farm labor markets in Canada, Mexico, and the US. He also uses statistical and survey data to provide the most reliable portrait of the five million people who work for wages on North American farms and explores alternatives to US farm workers in major fruits and vegetables, showing how changing consumer preferences can speed or slow mechanization. Bracero 2.0 concludes with options to improve protections for farm workers, highlighting the need for systems that ensure continuous labor law compliance—as with food safety—rather than compliance only for government or private audits.

• The most comprehensive analysis of the integration of product and labor markets in North America under NAFTA and USMCA
• Provides comparative data on the evolution of labor-intensive farming and farm employment in Canada, Mexico, and the US
• Explains who farm workers are, including their demographics, employment and earnings, and hopes and challenges
• Offers realistic options to improve protections for farm workers while keeping agriculture competitive

Reference

Martin, P., 2023. Bracero 2.0: Mexican Workers in North American Agriculture. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.

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