ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the inequalities which large-scale agriculture has produced in Imperial Valley-Mexicali area. It examines the manner in which these groups of workers are structurally linked to international labor transfer processes which have moved these workers to the border area and created the employment conditions for their reproduction. The chapter argues that large-scale agriculture in California and the US creates and perpetuates this international poverty group. It explores local level processes of historical and social change, employment conditions, labor union ties, and general socio-cultural characteristics of this population. Agriculture in the Imperial Valley is a model case of the growth of large-scale agricultural development in the state of California. It epitomizes the application of green revolution technology, cost-benefit analysis, excellent business management, ownership of agriculture by agribusiness companies, and the use of cheap labor, particularly Mexican and Mexican American workers.
