ABSTRACT
This chapter draws insight on the characteristics and evolution of farming since the 1960s. It analyses the scope of substitution of 'native' workers by Africans and the reasons for it. The chapter examines differences in Spanish agriculture, with special reference to the places where immigrants find work. It explores relations between agricultural methods and products, and the increase in immigrant employment. The chapter focuses on the Girona interview survey, which shows that Africans easily obtain employment in the agricultural sector. It provides an idea through a provincial analysis which introduces new elements into our understanding of immigrant employment patterns in Spanish agriculture. A key to understanding out-migration in Alentejo is the process of mechanisation which released a considerable number of agricultural labourers. The chapter explores the scope and reasons for the substitution of Spanish workers by Africans. It compares the low African presence in Portuguese farming with the Spanish case.
