During the period from 1970 to the end of the 1980s, there was a major structural factor change in the industry and that is farms have become less numerous but larger and with increased concentration of profit. As Dutton and Cornish (1988) note, “between 1950 and 1981, the number of farm units decreased from 26,406 to 20,012 units... Yet land in agricultural production has actually increased by 17 percent over the same period” (p. 165). This same trend was evident looking at cash sales where, again according to Dutton and Cornish (1988), only 19.7 percent of B.C. Farms- fewer than 4,000- accounted for 87 per cent of all cash sales” (p. 165). This reveals a high level of concentration in the industry. This should come as no surprise however as it fits broader global trends in the agricultural industry and others.
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As Dutton and Cornish (1988) write, the province, during the middle of the period being examined in this essay, had an estimated 20,000 seasonal workers in the province, most of whom were from India. Part of the reason for reliance on such labour is that they were not protected by minimum wage or labour standards laws meaning that they could and did face a great deal of exploitation. Dutton and Cornish (1988) suggest that it was a combination of racism and practical utilitarianism that drove this
As Dutton and Cornish (1988) write, the province, during the middle of the period being examined in this essay, had an estimated 20,000 seasonal workers in the province, most of whom were from India. Part of the reason for reliance on such labour is that they were not protected by minimum wage or labour standards laws meaning that they could and did face a great deal of exploitation. Dutton and Cornish (1988) suggest that it was a combination of racism and practical utilitarianism that drove this