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Migrant Farm Workers on Virginia's Eastern Shore: An Analysis of Economic Impacts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2015

Erin O. Sills ,
Jeffrey Alwang  and
Paul Driscoll
Erin O. Sills
Affiliation:
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
Jeffrey Alwang
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
Paul Driscoll
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
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Abstract

The economic impact of migrant farmworkers on an agriculture-dependent region is investigated. The direct effects of inflows of state and federal dollars for migrant services, and production of high-valued commodities are computed. Indirect and induced effects are modelled through the use of the IMPLAN input output model. Various alternatives to migrant labor are investigated, including production of less labor-intensive crops, acreage retirement, and contract H2A workers. Migrants are found to create substantial economic activity on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Keywords

economic impactinput-outputmigrant labor

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , July 1994 , pp. 209 - 223
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Agricultural Economics Association 1994

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