The shades of green : migrants' contribution to EU agriculture : context, trends, opportunities, challenges

Abstract

Despite agriculture being a strategic economic and policy domain for the European Union, rural areas in the EU suffer socio-economic marginalisation and desertification.Immigrants currently represent a key strategic asset in tackling the lack of a workforce, problems of generational renewal in agriculture and the abandonment of rural areas.The farming industry can absorb workforce relatively easily in comparison to other sectors, and the rural world holds the potential to accommodate important numbers of immigrants.Problems exist, though, when it comes to the living and working conditions and the rights of rural immigrant workers, and their related socio-economic integration and stabilisation.Efforts to improve these situations shall start from elaborating an integrated policy framework that enhances coherence between agriculture, migration and labour market domains.The paper proposes, as well, tailored initiatives and investments as a way to contribute to CAP 2020 Reform towards a smart, sustainable and inclusive rural world in the EU.