Harvesting the Future: the Impacts of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program Mexico – Canada on the Participants and in the Development of the Sending Communities

Abstract

This thesis explores the impact that the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) between Mexico and Canada has on the Mexican workers participating in it and in their communities in Mexico. The experience of the SAWP allows its participants to develop themselves and therefore contribute to the development of their communities and home towns. While some people will see this program as merely for poverty alleviation, this research shows that with the right incentives it has potential to become a development tool for many rural communities in different states of Mexico.