Agri-labour mobility in a changing climate : A systems approach to vulnerability and precarity among migrant farmworkers
Kavak, Sinem LU ; Islar, Mine and Olsson, Lennart LU
(2026)
In World Development
202.
- Abstract
- This research explores the climate vulnerability of migrant farmworkers within the climate-sensitive commercial agriculture of the Mediterranean Basin, through a case study of Turkey. In Turkey a vast majority of the farmworkers belong to Kurdish and Arab ethnic groups, including internally displaced people (IDPs) and Syrians. Utilising a critical political economy approach to vulnerability and synthesising a decade of qualitative data, we examine farmworkers’ experience of climate change. The findings demonstrate that climate vulnerability operates across three interconnected levels: (1) direct exposure to climate extremes, (2) indirect socio-economic impacts on livelihoods, social and political vulnerabilities, and (3) systemic effects... (More)
- This research explores the climate vulnerability of migrant farmworkers within the climate-sensitive commercial agriculture of the Mediterranean Basin, through a case study of Turkey. In Turkey a vast majority of the farmworkers belong to Kurdish and Arab ethnic groups, including internally displaced people (IDPs) and Syrians. Utilising a critical political economy approach to vulnerability and synthesising a decade of qualitative data, we examine farmworkers’ experience of climate change. The findings demonstrate that climate vulnerability operates across three interconnected levels: (1) direct exposure to climate extremes, (2) indirect socio-economic impacts on livelihoods, social and political vulnerabilities, and (3) systemic effects arising from the interaction of multiple climate events across multiple locations of labour. To this end, we introduce the concept of agri-labour mobility systems. These operate through an ad hoc system of routes shaped by labour demands at specific points in production cycles and the minimum income thresholds required to offset the costs of migration. This framework allows us to analyse vulnerability beyond hazard-based frameworks by incorporating the political economy of farm labour and emphasising intersecting social, economic, political, and climate-related vulnerabilities. Finally, we assert that experiences with climate change for mobile livelihoods can only be understood by looking at the migration routes, multiple commodities and locations and the continuity of the experiences with the climate irregularities. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/7a7fecb3-d773-48b9-ab37-4f89e4989e30
- author
- Kavak, Sinem
LU
; Islar, Mine
and Olsson, Lennart
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-02
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- migrant workers; labour exploitation; trade unions; legal mobilization, Climate change, vulnerability, precarious work, agriculture, Food
- in
- World Development
- volume
- 202
- article number
- 107329
- publisher
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 1873-5991
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.worlddev.2026.107329
- project
- Unravelling climate change impacts on migrant farmworkers in agri-food production
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 7a7fecb3-d773-48b9-ab37-4f89e4989e30
- date added to LUP
- 2026-02-16 09:17:54
- date last changed
- 2026-02-16 10:45:23
@article{7a7fecb3-d773-48b9-ab37-4f89e4989e30,
abstract = {{This research explores the climate vulnerability of migrant farmworkers within the climate-sensitive commercial agriculture of the Mediterranean Basin, through a case study of Turkey. In Turkey a vast majority of the farmworkers belong to Kurdish and Arab ethnic groups, including internally displaced people (IDPs) and Syrians. Utilising a critical political economy approach to vulnerability and synthesising a decade of qualitative data, we examine farmworkers’ experience of climate change. The findings demonstrate that climate vulnerability operates across three interconnected levels: (1) direct exposure to climate extremes, (2) indirect socio-economic impacts on livelihoods, social and political vulnerabilities, and (3) systemic effects arising from the interaction of multiple climate events across multiple locations of labour. To this end, we introduce the concept of agri-labour mobility systems. These operate through an ad hoc system of routes shaped by labour demands at specific points in production cycles and the minimum income thresholds required to offset the costs of migration. This framework allows us to analyse vulnerability beyond hazard-based frameworks by incorporating the political economy of farm labour and emphasising intersecting social, economic, political, and climate-related vulnerabilities. Finally, we assert that experiences with climate change for mobile livelihoods can only be understood by looking at the migration routes, multiple commodities and locations and the continuity of the experiences with the climate irregularities.}},
author = {{Kavak, Sinem and Islar, Mine and Olsson, Lennart}},
issn = {{1873-5991}},
keywords = {{migrant workers; labour exploitation; trade unions; legal mobilization; Climate change; vulnerability; precarious work; agriculture; Food}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{World Development}},
title = {{Agri-labour mobility in a changing climate : A systems approach to vulnerability and precarity among migrant farmworkers}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2026.107329}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.worlddev.2026.107329}},
volume = {{202}},
year = {{2026}},
}