Five Reasons Why Immigrants Are Critical for the Agricultural Sector
Five Reasons Why Immigrants Are Critical for the Agricultural Sector
AS/COA’s fact sheet, the sixth in a series on immigrants and the economy, details five reasons why immigrants are critical for the U.S. agricultural sector.
New York, August 28, 2013 –With Congress returning from August recess, immigration reform will be among the top issues for members of the House of Representatives.
While many Americans may take for granted the food on their grocery shelves, immigrants play a critical role in getting food from our farms to our supermarkets. This fact sheet—the sixth in AS/COA’s series on immigrants and the economy—details five reasons why immigrants are critical for the agricultural sector....
This fact sheet provides key data points and it is a resource for journalists, policymakers, business leaders, and others who are looking to better understand the contributions of immigrant workers to the U.S. agricultural sector:
- With agricultural employers continuously in search of more employees, immigrant workers fill the jobs that the industry desperately needs to remain competitive.
- A reduced agricultural labor force leads to production losses that impact not just that industry but the U.S. economy overall.
- Immigrant farm laborers create jobs for U.S.-born individuals in areas of the economy beyond agriculture.
- With a growing population, immigrant labor is vital to helping the agriculture industry produce the food required to feed Americans.
- Immigrant agricultural workers help boost the population in rural areas that may be experiencing an outflow of local residents, creating a future pipeline of workers for the industry.
