Is Italian agriculture a ‘pull factor’ for irregular migration – and, if so, why?

Abstract

The study seeks to analyse the broader framework in which the rights of migrants and workers are violated, going beyond the focus on the abuse endured by migrant workers in southern Italy—which has been reported on exhaustively over the last decade by the media and civil society organisations— and the rather narrow actions by the EU and member states to counter the exploitation. The aim is to investigate the multiple pressures on the agriculture system from the restructuring of agri-food chains and the factors pushing farmers to recruit migrant workers irregularly, profiting from their vulnerable condition.