Mechanization of Tasks in Horticultural Crops: The Labor Perspective

California’s labor-intensive crop production has relied on over 400,000 seasonal farm workers.  Traditionally, the work of planting, pruning, thinning, irrigating, harvesting, and packing the wide array of fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural commodities depends on an abundant and skilled workforce.  The vast majority of these workers are low-paid immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries.  Several factors contribute to a decline in available workers. This includes tighter border enforcement; declining birthrates; and improving economies south of our borders.  Pending immigration reform may stabilize, but would likely not increase the available supply of labor.  Shortages of available farm workers are likely to continue. Farm labor contractors (FLCs) play a major role in providing the labor needed in California agriculture.  Their employees may perform simple tasks such as weeding and thinning crops, or more the complex work of operating harvest and other equipment.  For many FLCs, increased mechanization of agricultural tasks may pose a threat to their livelihood, and presents a variety of challenges.  Increased mechanization helps reduce the impact of labor shortages, but, it would also reduce payrolls to FLCs, increase certain hazards to workers, require more specialized workers, and require greater investments in FLC operations.  As mechanization takes a greater role in agricultural production, the effects on labor and the farm labor contractors must be considered.  The increasing role of mechanization in agriculture must be facilitated by increased outreach to the farm labor contractor community.