The necropolitics of expendability: migrant farm workers during COVID-19

COVID-19 has made visible and deepened inequalities globally, while also manifesting the vital role of functional food, health, and care systems in a context of strong socio-ecological interdependencies. We here mobilize bio- and necro-politics to problematize the declaration of agricultural workers as 'essential' and the accompanying policies during the early months of the pandemic, focusing on the region of Lleida, Spain. We show how this proclaimed indispensibility was aiming mostly at securing cheap labor to agri-business while workers continued to be treated as expendable. An intersectionality lens allows us to understand discrimination and racism as health determinants, operating within and defining 'glocal' food necropolitics and COVID-19 biopolitics.

Automated summary

COVID-19 has worsened global inequalities and highlighted the importance of functional food, health, and care systems in a world of interconnectedness. This study examines the declaration of agricultural workers as 'essential' during the early months of the pandemic in Lleida, Spain, using bio- and necro-political perspectives. It reveals that this declaration primarily aimed at securing cheap labor for agri-business, disregarding the well-being of the workers. By adopting an intersectionality lens, the study demonstrates how discrimination and racism in the food system contribute to the biopolitics of COVID-19.