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Increased U.S. imports of fresh fruits and vegetables support one million agricultural jobs on Mexican farms that export to the U.S. while another two million Mexican-born workers are employed on U.S. farms. The expanding H-2A guest worker program is on track to certify 300,000 farm jobs in FY21. The National Agricultural Worker Survey, which has been interviewing workers on U.S. crop farms since 1989, finds that crop workers are aging and settled in one place, making them less migratory and flexible.

This timely seminar reviewed characteristics and earnings of U.S. agricultural workers over the past three decades, the current status and outlook for the H-2A program, and trends and patterns in fruit and vegetable trade.

We are grateful to the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the Walmart Foundation for their support of this project. 

For more information on the project, please visit the project on the following webpages: Wilson Center, Migration Dialogue, Jornaleros México

2:00–2:05  Welcome

• Andrew I. Rudman, Director, Mexico Institute, Wilson Center 
• Philip Martin, Professor emeritus of Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC-Davis

2:05–2:25 Mexico-U.S. Fruit and Vegetable Trade

• Steve Zahniser, Agricultural Economist, USDA

2:25–2:45 The H-2A Program 2010-2021

• Philip Martin, Professor emeritus of Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC-Davis

2:45–3:10 NAWS Crop Workers 1989-2020

• Susan Gabbard, Senior Research Associate, JBS International
• Daniel Carrol, Department of Labor

3:10–3:30 Q&A