Undocumented Latinx Farm Workers: The Invisible Backbone of American Agriculture
By: Mykalee McGowan
Edited by: Onyx Ramírez
This blog post contains the personal opinions and reflections of the author and is not representative of the voice of the organization.
Photo: Tim Mossholder, Unsplash
By Mykalee McGowan, Communications Associate at Black Farmer Fund
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the rich contributions of Latinx individuals to our society.
Let's explore the profound impact of Latinx farmworkers on U.S. agriculture, whose contributions are an essential part of our food system.
Undocumented Latinx farmworkers have a massive impact on American agricultural industry and economy. The U.S. agricultural sector primarily relies on both documented and undocumented immigrant farm workers. Immigrants make up as much as 78% U.S. farmworkers (Payan, 2024). Over one million U.S farmworkers are undocumented, which is roughly 70% of the farming workforce (Castellanos-Canales, 2021).
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, higher costs of living, and immigrant policy changes throughout recent years, there has been a labor shortage, which has affected two major things in the United States: our food and our money.
Impact on the Food System
Immigrant farmworkers are the pillars of food self-sufficiency in the United States. However, net migration has declined each year since 2017, which has resulted in acute labor shortages in U.S. farms.
As a result, farms have a harder time finding workers to harvest their crops, which has led to many fruits and vegetables rotting in fields, unpicked. In California, many experienced immigrant farm workers are going back to their home countries due to the high cost of living. In fact, 56 percent of California farmers reported that they found difficulty to find workers for the past five years (Moriarty, 2022).
As the nation's largest farming state, California brings in more than $50 billion in annual agricultural sales. California produces 100% of U.S. artichokes and plums, more than 90% of our broccoli, celery, avocados, tangerines, mandarins and nectarines, and nearly 80% of our cauliflower, apricots, strawberries, raspberries, grapes and lemons (Estabrook, 2020). All of these crops are hand-harvested, relying on farmworkers.
Anti-immigration policies and the higher costs of living have also affected migrant farmworker populations.
In 2011, Georgia's new anti-immigration law scared away undocumented migrant workers. This led to a labor shortage in the state's agriculture sector, causing farmers to lose an estimated $75 million in revenue due to unharvested produce (Estabrook, 2020).
This decline reduces the food supply that’s accessible for consumers, increasing food insecurity throughout the nation.
Impact on the U.S. Economy
Undocumented Latinx farm workers also contribute significantly to the American economy as their labor helps drive agricultural production, create jobs, and boost rural economies.
According to the National Immigration Forum, the U.S. farming industry accumulated $136 billion dollars in 2020. The United States is also one of largest food exporters in the world, generating a record $157 billion dollars that same year. Without immigrant farmworkers, fruit and vegetable farmers can lose up to 9 billion dollars a year (Castellanos-Canales, 2021).
These shortages have resulted in produce being lower in supply and higher in prices throughout the United States. Based on the USDA Food Price Outlook, the average annual increase in grocery prices from 2020 to 2023 is approximately 5.95%, with 2022 seeing a whopping 11.4 percent increase (Stewart & Dong, 2023).
Stay tuned this Hispanic Heritage month as we share more insight on the experience of many Latinx farm workers in America, from the conditions they face to ways we can support and advocate for the well-being during these perilous times and beyond.
Sources:
Castellanos-Canales, A. (2021, July 21). Forum statement for the record - “Immigrant farmworkers are essential to feeding America” [Online forum post]. National Immigration Forum. Retrieved September 6, 2024, from https://forumtogether.org/article/forum-statement-for-the-record-immigrant-farmworkers-are-essential-to-feeding-america/
Estabrook, B. (2020, December 9). Farmers Can't Find Enough Workers to Harvest Crops—and Fruits and Vegetables Are Literally Rotting in Fields. EatingWell. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/291645/farmers-cant-find-enough-workers-to-harvest-crops-and-fruits-and-vegetables-are-literally-rotting-in-fields/
Moriarty, A. (2022, September 14). Immigrant farmworkers and America’s Food Production - 5 things to know. FWD.us. https://www.fwd.us/news/immigrant-farmworkers-and-americas-food-production-5-things-to-know/
Payan, T. (2024, April 10). Migrant Workers’ Vital Role in Agriculture: A Conversation with Alejandro Gutiérrez-Li. Baker Institute. https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/migrant-workers-vital-role-agriculture-conversation-alejandro-gutierrez-li
Rosenbloom, R. (2022, August 30). A profile of undocumented agricultural workers in the United States. The Center for Migration Studies of New York. https://cmsny.org/agricultural-workers-rosenbloom-083022/
Stewart, H., & Dong, D. (2023, September). Food Price Outlook - Summary Findings. USDA Economic Research Service. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings/
Svajlenka, N. (2020). Protecting undocumented workers on the pandemic’s front lines. In Center for American Progress. Center for American Progress. Retrieved September 6, 2024, from https://www.americanprogress.org/article/protecting-undocumented-workers-pandemics-front-lines-2/