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COVID-19's Impact Upon Labor and Value Chains in the Agrifood Industry: A case study
[working paper]
Corporate Editor
Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society - The German Internet Institute
Abstract
We explore the impact of automation and digitalization on labor in the US agrifood system during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study considers each of the primary nodes in the system stretching from consumer through grocery stores and restaurants to last-mile delivery, distribution, food processing, f... view more
We explore the impact of automation and digitalization on labor in the US agrifood system during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study considers each of the primary nodes in the system stretching from consumer through grocery stores and restaurants to last-mile delivery, distribution, food processing, farming, and agri-inputs. Not only automation and digitalization, but also the role of platforms such as Amazon, and food delivery firms such as GrubHub, Instacart, and Uber Eats are discussed. For restaurants, we consider not only dine-in restaurants, but also “ghost kitchens”. Furthermore, the possibility that farmers or distributors could disintermediate other nodes and deal directly with consumers is discussed. We conclude that, as a generalization, the further upstream one goes from the consumer, the less immediate and disruptive automation is likely to be for labor. However, our overall conclusion is that, given the current trajectories, labor is becoming increasingly precarious. If the current labor shortages continue, then automation is likely to accelerate. Platformization, while rampant in the relationships with final consumers, is likely to be less rapidly adopted further upstream where relationships are B-to-B and thus composed of actors that are wary of sharing data.... view less
Keywords
agricultural production; food; automation; online service; digitalization; working conditions; supply; direct marketing; retail trade; United States of America; electronic business
Classification
Economic Sectors
Labor Market Research
Sociology of Work, Industrial Sociology, Industrial Relations
Free Keywords
COVID-19; Coronavirus pandemic; Platform Economy; Agrifood Systems; Labor; Work Process
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
City
Berlin
Page/Pages
33 p.
Series
Weizenbaum Series, 23
ISSN
2748-5587
Status
Primary Publication; reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0
FundingThis work has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) (grant no.: 16DII121, 16DII122, 16DII123, 16DII124, 16DII125, 16DII126, 16DII127, 16DII128 - "Deutsches Internet-Institut").