The globalisation of Italian agriculture. Transformations of migrant labour composition in agriculture in Trentino

Abstract

The cultivation of apples is one of the principal economic activities in Trentino, which is responsible for 25% of Italian apple production and 4% of European apple production. The industry is structurally based on migrant work, especially from Eastern European countries in the EU. This model has come up against obstacles due to EU migrant workers redrawing their trajectories: They now tend to remain in their country of origin or move towards central European countries, where they find better wages and working conditions. This is also due to the inadequacy of Italian migration policies, which make it difficult for employers to recruit migrant workers. As a result, employers started to recruit refugees and asylum seekers from countries in the sub-Saharan and Indian subcontinent who had recently arrived in Trentino. This article analyses these transformations and the trend of ‘refugeeisation’ process of the agricultural workforce, as well as the partial replacement of seasonal workers in Trentino. It then focuses on the impact of the pandemic on international recruitment and on the organisation of the migrant workforce.