COVID-19, A Balancing Act: Agriculture Sector

              From a labour standpoint, individuals and organizations face threats from multiple fronts. Ranging from having operations disrupted due to an internal COVID-19 outbreak, to limited labour access or downsized crop size with a smaller operational team to limit exposure and combat supply glut. These are all key issues that have to be taken into consideration while having a limited degree of operational sophistication or access to capital.

              Farmers in some countries such as Canada, United States and Australia are often dependent on foreign labour to plant, maintain and harvest crop. In light of COVID-19, yield levels and lower demand may cause some farmers to go out of business. To support the labour-side of the equation, four areas should be considered: 1) Hiring of the unemployed to support farmers; 2) Hiring of low-risk incarcerated population; 3) Hiring of foreign workers through government supported processes; 4) Technology acquisition to increase farming efficiency.

1. Matching the unemployed with farmers: As the number of unemployed skyrockets and the economy takes time to recover, agricultural jobs may serve as a stopgap to counterbalance its effects. Some governments may benefit from building or using a platform to match farmers with unemployed individuals eager to work. In places where states, provinces or territories have seen a decline in agricultural work in the past and where this career is deemed essential for the economy, the government may benefit from selling a plot of land at a discounted price for those who have begun working during the COVID-19 crisis and have decided to remain even after the issue has subsided. This can serve as an incentive for long-term commitment to an agricultural career.
2. Job opportunity to low-risk incarcerated population: The incarcerated population can often find it challenging to find a job once they have left the prison system. During a crisis, it can be doubly challenging to do so. This increases the risk of recidivism and may pose further challenges and costs to society and the prison system. According to a GlobalNews article on the Canadian Parliamentary Budget Officer, it is estimated that an inmate costs on average around $81,000 USD ($114,587 CAD) per year while in the US, the Bureau of Prisons estimates that federal inmates cost $36,299 USD (roughly $51,300 CAD) in the fiscal year of 2017. To diminish such costs, the government should look to build profiles of individuals who could benefit from taking part in an agricultural career track. This can also mean that some prisoners would get education in this area to help facilitate the transition. Not all inmates would be given the option to follow this track due to a variety of concerns. Another aspect is to build partnerships with agricultural coops and other groups to facilitate connection and transition of inmates to society.
3. Enhanced Foreign Worker’s Program: Foreign labour in the agricultural sector is not a novel idea, it is estimated that the US employed over 258,000 foreign workers in farms in 2019 (USDA) while Canada employed 54,734 workers in 2018 (StatCan). However, in light of the novel COVID-19 full or partial border closure will likely remain in many countries for the foreseeable future. Despite such policies, there are procedures that can and should be taken to not cause additional strain in the agricultural sector by halting such labour practices. To ensure foreign workers are ready and able to work, governments will need to partner with agriculture employers, cooperators and other countries to ensure the availability and viability of transporting, housing and providing other basic care for the workers. Considerations regarding testing accessibility, 2-week quarantine, supply chain provider’s impact (e.g. airlines), cost and other factors will need to be taken into account.
4. Technology Innovation: Technology innovation can be a major driver in enhancing efficiency in the agricultural sector. Governments may benefit from creating an agricultural supercluster to connect farmers with innovators to build technological solutions that will support the efficacy of farming. There may also be cases where grant is provided to the purchase of equipment that allow for increase crop yields.