Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Mig.Pro. (Migrants’ protests: How the borders of citizenship are conceived, mobilized and constructed by migrants’ farm workers protests)
Reporting period: 2024-12-01 to 2025-11-30
Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project
Project Overview and Contextual Framework
This research project explores the grassroots struggles of Migrant Agricultural Workers (MAWs) for fundamental human rights and dignified living and working conditions. By examining everyday forms of protest and mobilization in Canada and Italy, the study analyses both individual and collective practices of resistance. While existing international scholarship has documented a global trend toward super-exploitative practices in the agrarian sector, the specific agency, voices, and resistance strategies activated by MAWs and their allies remain under-researched.
Canada and Italy serve as critical comparative contexts. Despite implementing policies to counter exploitation and support "vulnerable" workers, both nations continue to exhibit systemic labour abuses. In both countries, vibrant social movements led by or for MAWs advocate for legal status, housing, healthcare, and unionization, yet these efforts are frequently marginalized in mainstream literature. The distinct normative, economic, and political landscapes of these two nations provide illustrative cases for exploring how structural conditions intersect with social movements to expand rights for both migrant populations and the broader citizenry.
Institutional recognition of these crises is significant. In 2023, the UN Special Rapporteur, Prof. Tomoya Obokata, characterized Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs as a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery.” Similarly, during a 2018 visit to Italy, the Rapporteur noted that labour exploitation is endemic to the agricultural sector, affecting a significant portion of the nearly 1.3 million workers, of whom over 400,000 are migrants. In Canada, the workforce is increasingly seasonal and concentrated in greenhouses, with temporary foreign workers numbering over 60,000 annually. Conversely, Italy’s 2021 estimates suggest a workforce of 900,000, with approximately 300,000 undocumented migrants facing extreme precarity.
Resistance, Repression, and Solidarity Networks
The urgency of this research is underscored by the frequent reports of workplace fatalities and severe exploitation. Over the last 30 years, numerous grassroots movements in both countries have mobilized to denounce these violations. However, these actions are often met with violence, state repression, or institutional indifference. Notable tragedies—such as the killing of trade unionist Soumaila Sacko (2018) and the deaths of Satnam Singh (2024) and Moussa Dembelé (2022) in Italy, or the deaths of Garvin Yapp (2022) and Lopez Chaparro (2020) in Canada—highlight the fatal consequences of systemic neglect. Furthermore, the expulsion of Jamaican workers in Ontario in 2023 following protests against substandard housing demonstrates the ongoing use of blackmail and deportation as tools of labour control.
Support networks for MAWs comprise migrant-led associations, NGOs, human rights defenders, and research centres. A key finding of this project, particularly within the Italian context, is the urgent need for these networks to decolonize their approaches. Participants emphasized that for these coalitions to act as a unified subject, they must overcome environmental fragmentation and secure resources that empower migrant-led leadership. The goal is to move beyond mere assistance toward the direct enforceability of fundamental rights for all agricultural workers.
Methodological Innovation and Strategic Impact
Adopting a critical feminist standpoint, the project utilizes Situational Analysis (Canada) and Participatory Action Research (Italy) to bridge the gap between the study of super-exploitation and the documentation of migrant agency. Its originality lies in the integration of transdisciplinary lenses—Social Movement Studies, Citizenship and Migration Studies, Labor Studies, and Critical Feminist Studies.
The project achieved five Specific Objectives (SO):
1. Advancing theoretical contributions to migration and labour studies through empirical findings.
2. Enriching academic discourse on the interactions between structure and agency regarding rights access.
3. Producing actionable knowledge for activists, stakeholders, and migrant organizations.
4. Implementing methodological innovations in comparative social research.
5. Formulating evidence-based policy recommendations.
Contributions to the Political and Strategic Context
This research aligns with the European Commission’s strategic goals and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically Goals 3 (Health and Well-being), 5 (Gender Equality), and 8 (Decent Work and the Eradication of Forced Labor). The social impact of the project is manifested in three primary dimensions:
a) Challenging Narratives and Representational Spaces: The project opened critical spaces for reflection regarding the public narrative of MAWs. Too often, these workers are framed either as "essential" but invisible or as "passive victims." This research deconstructs these tropes by highlighting processes of racialization, stratification, and oppression, while simultaneously documenting the active resistance of workers. By framing these issues through European legal standards on living and working conditions, the project asserts that these are not just labour disputes but fundamental human rights crises.
b) Methodological Engagement and Knowledge Co-production: Through participatory and decolonial methodologies, every interaction—from one-on-one interviews to workshops—served as a platform for collective analysis. This approach allowed for mapping existing challenges and identifying pathways for future rights claims. The project’s final policy recommendations are the direct result of this co-construction, refined through feedback from the scientific community and collaborative workshops with participants.
c) The Recommendations as a Toolkit for Action: The resulting policy recommendations function as a practical toolkit for MAWs, stakeholders, and institutional authorities at local, national, and European levels. They prioritize specific areas of intervention, identifying the actors responsible for implementing change. Furthermore, the project places a significant emphasis on the health and economic impacts of "contested citizenship." It analyses how undocumented status creates barriers to healthcare and decent housing, providing a roadmap for policy interventions that prioritize human dignity over economic extraction.
By integrating rigorous academic inquiry with a commitment to social transformation, this Marie Skłodowska-Curie action has fostered a deeper understanding of how the most marginalized workers in the European and North American food systems are not merely subjects of exploitation, but active agents of political change. Through its public dissemination activities, this work provides a foundational resource for future research and policy-making aimed at eradicating systemic racism and labour oppression in global agriculture.
This research project explores the grassroots struggles of Migrant Agricultural Workers (MAWs) for fundamental human rights and dignified living and working conditions. By examining everyday forms of protest and mobilization in Canada and Italy, the study analyses both individual and collective practices of resistance. While existing international scholarship has documented a global trend toward super-exploitative practices in the agrarian sector, the specific agency, voices, and resistance strategies activated by MAWs and their allies remain under-researched.
Canada and Italy serve as critical comparative contexts. Despite implementing policies to counter exploitation and support "vulnerable" workers, both nations continue to exhibit systemic labour abuses. In both countries, vibrant social movements led by or for MAWs advocate for legal status, housing, healthcare, and unionization, yet these efforts are frequently marginalized in mainstream literature. The distinct normative, economic, and political landscapes of these two nations provide illustrative cases for exploring how structural conditions intersect with social movements to expand rights for both migrant populations and the broader citizenry.
Institutional recognition of these crises is significant. In 2023, the UN Special Rapporteur, Prof. Tomoya Obokata, characterized Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs as a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery.” Similarly, during a 2018 visit to Italy, the Rapporteur noted that labour exploitation is endemic to the agricultural sector, affecting a significant portion of the nearly 1.3 million workers, of whom over 400,000 are migrants. In Canada, the workforce is increasingly seasonal and concentrated in greenhouses, with temporary foreign workers numbering over 60,000 annually. Conversely, Italy’s 2021 estimates suggest a workforce of 900,000, with approximately 300,000 undocumented migrants facing extreme precarity.
Resistance, Repression, and Solidarity Networks
The urgency of this research is underscored by the frequent reports of workplace fatalities and severe exploitation. Over the last 30 years, numerous grassroots movements in both countries have mobilized to denounce these violations. However, these actions are often met with violence, state repression, or institutional indifference. Notable tragedies—such as the killing of trade unionist Soumaila Sacko (2018) and the deaths of Satnam Singh (2024) and Moussa Dembelé (2022) in Italy, or the deaths of Garvin Yapp (2022) and Lopez Chaparro (2020) in Canada—highlight the fatal consequences of systemic neglect. Furthermore, the expulsion of Jamaican workers in Ontario in 2023 following protests against substandard housing demonstrates the ongoing use of blackmail and deportation as tools of labour control.
Support networks for MAWs comprise migrant-led associations, NGOs, human rights defenders, and research centres. A key finding of this project, particularly within the Italian context, is the urgent need for these networks to decolonize their approaches. Participants emphasized that for these coalitions to act as a unified subject, they must overcome environmental fragmentation and secure resources that empower migrant-led leadership. The goal is to move beyond mere assistance toward the direct enforceability of fundamental rights for all agricultural workers.
Methodological Innovation and Strategic Impact
Adopting a critical feminist standpoint, the project utilizes Situational Analysis (Canada) and Participatory Action Research (Italy) to bridge the gap between the study of super-exploitation and the documentation of migrant agency. Its originality lies in the integration of transdisciplinary lenses—Social Movement Studies, Citizenship and Migration Studies, Labor Studies, and Critical Feminist Studies.
The project achieved five Specific Objectives (SO):
1. Advancing theoretical contributions to migration and labour studies through empirical findings.
2. Enriching academic discourse on the interactions between structure and agency regarding rights access.
3. Producing actionable knowledge for activists, stakeholders, and migrant organizations.
4. Implementing methodological innovations in comparative social research.
5. Formulating evidence-based policy recommendations.
Contributions to the Political and Strategic Context
This research aligns with the European Commission’s strategic goals and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically Goals 3 (Health and Well-being), 5 (Gender Equality), and 8 (Decent Work and the Eradication of Forced Labor). The social impact of the project is manifested in three primary dimensions:
a) Challenging Narratives and Representational Spaces: The project opened critical spaces for reflection regarding the public narrative of MAWs. Too often, these workers are framed either as "essential" but invisible or as "passive victims." This research deconstructs these tropes by highlighting processes of racialization, stratification, and oppression, while simultaneously documenting the active resistance of workers. By framing these issues through European legal standards on living and working conditions, the project asserts that these are not just labour disputes but fundamental human rights crises.
b) Methodological Engagement and Knowledge Co-production: Through participatory and decolonial methodologies, every interaction—from one-on-one interviews to workshops—served as a platform for collective analysis. This approach allowed for mapping existing challenges and identifying pathways for future rights claims. The project’s final policy recommendations are the direct result of this co-construction, refined through feedback from the scientific community and collaborative workshops with participants.
c) The Recommendations as a Toolkit for Action: The resulting policy recommendations function as a practical toolkit for MAWs, stakeholders, and institutional authorities at local, national, and European levels. They prioritize specific areas of intervention, identifying the actors responsible for implementing change. Furthermore, the project places a significant emphasis on the health and economic impacts of "contested citizenship." It analyses how undocumented status creates barriers to healthcare and decent housing, providing a roadmap for policy interventions that prioritize human dignity over economic extraction.
By integrating rigorous academic inquiry with a commitment to social transformation, this Marie Skłodowska-Curie action has fostered a deeper understanding of how the most marginalized workers in the European and North American food systems are not merely subjects of exploitation, but active agents of political change. Through its public dissemination activities, this work provides a foundational resource for future research and policy-making aimed at eradicating systemic racism and labour oppression in global agriculture.
Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far
Mig.Pro investigated the networks, agency, and grassroots struggles of migrant farmworkers and their allies in their pursuit of fundamental human rights and decent living conditions. Moving beyond traditional academic distance, the research explored everyday/longlasting, micro/meso/macro forms of protest, resistance, and mobilisation within the agricultural landscapes of Canada and Italy.
The research highlighted how intersecting forms of exploitation are met with powerful, though often silenced, forms of agency. The project aimed to amplify the resonance of these struggles, framing resistance not merely as a reaction to power, but as a proactive assertion of political subjectivity and alternative world-making.
Empirical research: The research phase in Canada focused on the long-standing practices of migrant worker advocacy -such as Campaigns for a secure legal status- and the specific vulnerabilities created by managed migration programs. The fieldwork involved:
• 9 Consultative meetings with local activists and community organizers.
• 12 In-depth interviews with key activists at the forefront of the struggle for migrant rights.
• Continuous Participant Observation within the spaces of solidarity and organizing.
A key outcome of this phase was the development of Co-constructed Policy Recommendations. These emerged from a collaborative process involving activists, academia, and former migrant agricultural workers. This multi-stakeholder approach ensured that the knowledge generated remains rooted in the lived experience of those who have navigated the system themselves.
Participatory Research & "Street Unionism" (Italy)
The empirical phase in Italy was characterized by a deeply immersive and Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach. The researcher significantly exceeded the original targets, conducting:
• 14 Consultative meetings with local collectives and grassroots movements.
• 47 In-depth interviews based on trust and mutual recognition.
Between May and October 2025, the researcher lived within the research sites (1-2 weeks per month), engaging in "street unionism" alongside organizations such as FLAI-CGIL, Caritas, Diritti a Sud. This involvement went beyond observation; it was a shared journey of struggle—from night assistance to meal distribution—allowing for direct engagement with over 500 migrant workers. This immersion was crucial for understanding the "circulation of knowledge" that occurs within the fields, where survival strategies transform into political consciousness.
Knowledge Co-Production and Community Outcomes
A defining feature of Mig.Pro was the commitment to both academic and non-academic formation and reciprocal learning. Knowledge was not "extracted" from participants; rather, it was co-produced with and from them. This process fostered a collective pedagogical space where academic rigor met the lived expertise of the workers. The final outputs of the project reflect this commitment to the community:
• Co-constructed Policy Recommendations: These are not static reports but "living documents" designed as advocacy tools for the participants themselves to demand structural change.
• Digital Archive & Website: The project website serves as a public commons for the circulation of research findings, making the knowledge accessible to the communities involved and ensuring that the research serves the struggle for rights.
• Mutual Formation: The project prioritized the return of findings to the field, ensuring that the participants remain the primary owners and beneficiaries of the knowledge generated through their own experiences. To view the full range of research products, please visit the official project website: https://pric.unive.it/projects/migpro/home(opens in new window)
The research highlighted how intersecting forms of exploitation are met with powerful, though often silenced, forms of agency. The project aimed to amplify the resonance of these struggles, framing resistance not merely as a reaction to power, but as a proactive assertion of political subjectivity and alternative world-making.
Empirical research: The research phase in Canada focused on the long-standing practices of migrant worker advocacy -such as Campaigns for a secure legal status- and the specific vulnerabilities created by managed migration programs. The fieldwork involved:
• 9 Consultative meetings with local activists and community organizers.
• 12 In-depth interviews with key activists at the forefront of the struggle for migrant rights.
• Continuous Participant Observation within the spaces of solidarity and organizing.
A key outcome of this phase was the development of Co-constructed Policy Recommendations. These emerged from a collaborative process involving activists, academia, and former migrant agricultural workers. This multi-stakeholder approach ensured that the knowledge generated remains rooted in the lived experience of those who have navigated the system themselves.
Participatory Research & "Street Unionism" (Italy)
The empirical phase in Italy was characterized by a deeply immersive and Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach. The researcher significantly exceeded the original targets, conducting:
• 14 Consultative meetings with local collectives and grassroots movements.
• 47 In-depth interviews based on trust and mutual recognition.
Between May and October 2025, the researcher lived within the research sites (1-2 weeks per month), engaging in "street unionism" alongside organizations such as FLAI-CGIL, Caritas, Diritti a Sud. This involvement went beyond observation; it was a shared journey of struggle—from night assistance to meal distribution—allowing for direct engagement with over 500 migrant workers. This immersion was crucial for understanding the "circulation of knowledge" that occurs within the fields, where survival strategies transform into political consciousness.
Knowledge Co-Production and Community Outcomes
A defining feature of Mig.Pro was the commitment to both academic and non-academic formation and reciprocal learning. Knowledge was not "extracted" from participants; rather, it was co-produced with and from them. This process fostered a collective pedagogical space where academic rigor met the lived expertise of the workers. The final outputs of the project reflect this commitment to the community:
• Co-constructed Policy Recommendations: These are not static reports but "living documents" designed as advocacy tools for the participants themselves to demand structural change.
• Digital Archive & Website: The project website serves as a public commons for the circulation of research findings, making the knowledge accessible to the communities involved and ensuring that the research serves the struggle for rights.
• Mutual Formation: The project prioritized the return of findings to the field, ensuring that the participants remain the primary owners and beneficiaries of the knowledge generated through their own experiences. To view the full range of research products, please visit the official project website: https://pric.unive.it/projects/migpro/home(opens in new window)
Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)
The Mig.Pro project has concluded its three-year cycle by delivering a ground-breaking paradigm shift in the study of migrant political subjectivities. Mig.Pro moved beyond the state of the art by:
• Methodological Innovation: Implementing truly democratic and participatory research practices. By positioning the project as a "bridge" between the academic field and grassroots activism, we moved from "researching on" to "researching with" migrants.
• Transnational Mirroring: The project successfully put into dialogue the distinct contexts of Italy and North America (Canada). This comparison revealed that despite geographical distances, the challenges in agricultural labour and citizenship are systemic. This "borrowing of knowledge" between contexts represents a new frontier for migration and labour studies.
• Conceptual Tools: We produced new analytical frameworks for "inclusive citizenship" that are now available as reading and action tools for both the scientific community and migrant workers themselves.
Potential Impacts
The impacts of Mig.Pro are multidimensional and designed to last beyond the project's end (November 2025):
• Academic & Interdisciplinary: The project sparked new collaborations between Migration, Social Movements, and Labour Studies, fostering an interdisciplinary dialogue that was previously fragmented.
• Societal & Grassroots: Through public conferences and shared documents, the project empowered migrant agricultural workers and their networks. It provided them with a mirror of their own accumulated capacities, strengthening their strategies for resistance and solidarity.
• Public Debate: Mig.Pro fostered a critical debate on the role of all actors—policymakers, citizens, and non-citizens—in shaping 21st-century citizenship, moving the needle toward a more inclusive "country-ecosystem."
Key Needs to Ensure Further Uptake and Success
To ensure that these results continue to generate impact, the following key needs have been identified:
1. Further Research & Demonstration: There is a need for longitudinal studies to monitor how the "strategies of resistance" identified in Italy and Canada evolve under changing political climates.
2. Internationalisation: Continued support for the transnational bridge built during the project is essential. Success depends on maintaining the network between European and North American activists and scholars.
3. Supportive Regulatory & Standardisation Framework: For the project’s findings to influence policy, there is a need for a regulatory framework that recognises "bottom-up" knowledge in the drafting of labour and migration laws.
4. Access to Non-Academic Markets/Publics: Continued effort is required to translate complex theoretical results into accessible "toolkits" for social practitioners and policymakers to ensure the practical circulation and implementation of ideas (in terms of social innovation).
• Methodological Innovation: Implementing truly democratic and participatory research practices. By positioning the project as a "bridge" between the academic field and grassroots activism, we moved from "researching on" to "researching with" migrants.
• Transnational Mirroring: The project successfully put into dialogue the distinct contexts of Italy and North America (Canada). This comparison revealed that despite geographical distances, the challenges in agricultural labour and citizenship are systemic. This "borrowing of knowledge" between contexts represents a new frontier for migration and labour studies.
• Conceptual Tools: We produced new analytical frameworks for "inclusive citizenship" that are now available as reading and action tools for both the scientific community and migrant workers themselves.
Potential Impacts
The impacts of Mig.Pro are multidimensional and designed to last beyond the project's end (November 2025):
• Academic & Interdisciplinary: The project sparked new collaborations between Migration, Social Movements, and Labour Studies, fostering an interdisciplinary dialogue that was previously fragmented.
• Societal & Grassroots: Through public conferences and shared documents, the project empowered migrant agricultural workers and their networks. It provided them with a mirror of their own accumulated capacities, strengthening their strategies for resistance and solidarity.
• Public Debate: Mig.Pro fostered a critical debate on the role of all actors—policymakers, citizens, and non-citizens—in shaping 21st-century citizenship, moving the needle toward a more inclusive "country-ecosystem."
Key Needs to Ensure Further Uptake and Success
To ensure that these results continue to generate impact, the following key needs have been identified:
1. Further Research & Demonstration: There is a need for longitudinal studies to monitor how the "strategies of resistance" identified in Italy and Canada evolve under changing political climates.
2. Internationalisation: Continued support for the transnational bridge built during the project is essential. Success depends on maintaining the network between European and North American activists and scholars.
3. Supportive Regulatory & Standardisation Framework: For the project’s findings to influence policy, there is a need for a regulatory framework that recognises "bottom-up" knowledge in the drafting of labour and migration laws.
4. Access to Non-Academic Markets/Publics: Continued effort is required to translate complex theoretical results into accessible "toolkits" for social practitioners and policymakers to ensure the practical circulation and implementation of ideas (in terms of social innovation).