Bracero 2.0: Mexican Workers in North American Agriculture

Rising consumer demand for fresh fruits and vegetables has led to the employment of five million Mexican-born workers on North American farms during a typical year. The migration of Mexican workers within and from Mexico has implications for North American agriculture, labor, and economic development. For instance, the guest worker systems of Canada and the US allow Mexican workers to earn five times more in six months than they could earn in a year at home, fueling the construction of trophy homes in rural Mexico but not necessarily spurring economic development. The expansion of export agriculture encourages internal migration from south-to-north within Mexico, which moves migrants to areas that offer higher wages but may subject some migrants to exploitation.

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.