Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics are revolutionising the agricultural sector. However, the consequences of these technologies on the agricultural workforce are still not fully understood. Proponents of these technologies argue that agricultural workers stand to benefit, as automation both creates opportunities for upskilling and reduces arduous, repetitive physical labour. Critics are more concerned about weighing the benefits against the risks as these technologies can potentially cause safety concerns, labour displacement, increased surveillance, as well as data and privacy issues. This thesis examines the experiences of Zimbabwean migrant citrus workers in Sunday River Valley (SRV) and Kat River Valley (KRV) in South Africa where AI, IoT, and robotics are being increasingly adopted in the citrus industry. This study investigates the sample group's encounters with these technologies and how they affect their working conditions. A total of 31 qualitative semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted, comprising 25 Zimbabwean migrant citrus workers and six key informants within the citrus industry who live and work in the SRV and KRV regions of South Africa. Subsequently, the collected data was thematically analysed.
The theoretical frameworks that this study employed were the labour process theory (LPT), Digital Taylorism, and Panopticism. The findings of this thesis show that the employment categories consisting of seasonal and permanent farmworkers, as well as packhouse workers, shape how Zimbabwean migrant citrus workers encounter and experience AI, IoT, and robotic technologies within the workplace. Integrating AI, IoT, and robotics within the citrus industry does not shape the working experiences of Zimbabwean migrant citrus seasonal farm workers. In contrast, these technologies often created an environment of increased surveillance and control for Zimbabwean migrant citrus permanent and packhouse workers. However, often these technologies simplified the jobs of Zimbabwean migrant citrus packhouse workers to ordinary, repetitive roles. Relative to farmworkers, this study finds that these technologies asymmetrically affect Zimbabwean migrant packhouse workers. This thesis makes several important contributions to the agricultural literature. While most empirical research on the effects of AI, IoT, and robotics on migrant agricultural workers has focused on the Global North, this study offers evidence from the Global South.
The study demonstrates that pressures from the global market and the citrus value chain incentivise local producers to employ Zimbabwean migrant citrus workers while integrating AI, IoT, and robotic technologies. The findings show that technological deskilling among ...