Demand for seasonal wage labour in agriculture: what does family farming hide?

Aurélie Darpeix (), Céline Bignebat () and Philippe Perrier-Cornet
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Aurélie Darpeix: European Union
Philippe Perrier-Cornet: Marchés, Organisations, Institutions et Stratégies d'Acteurs - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Montpellier SupAgro - Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier

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Abstract: This article draws on the agricultural household literature to understand the dynamics of wage labour on farms in a context of family farming. The recent evolution towards an increased use of seasonal wage labour motivates the original distinction of three types of labour: family labour, permanent wage labour, and seasonal wage labour. Considering the two wage labour types and hiring cost for seasonal workers, our empirical results based on French data on fruit and vegetables farms from the agricultural census of 2000 suggest that the choice between hiring permanent or seasonal wage labour is not only determined by the seasonality of the activity. The characteristics of the local labour market also affect the trade-off between permanent and seasonal wage labour providing insights on the substitutability of the two labour types, especially when the local labour market is tight. Moreover, the substitution of seasonal wage labour for permanent wage labour can occur in the agricultural sector as means of increasing flexibility as well as reducing costs and commitments. Second, family labour is found to most likely substitute wage labour and more specifically seasonal wage labour.

Keywords: agricultural household model; wage labour; seasonality; france (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

Published in Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2014, 65 (1), pp.257-272. ⟨10.1111/1477-9552.12019⟩

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Related works:
Journal Article: Demand for Seasonal Wage Labour in Agriculture: What Does Family Farming Hide? (2014)
Working Paper: Demand for seasonal wage labour in agriculture: what does family farming hide? (2009)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02638657

DOI: 10.1111/1477-9552.12019

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