Young migrants in rural horticultural production contexts and secondary school, a state of the art

Abstract

This article presents a state-of-the-art review of research addressing the experiences of migrant youth in rural horticultural production contexts and their relationship with secondary education, with particular attention to child and adolescent labor and the institutional responses developed by the educational system. Based on a literature review of studies conducted primarily in Argentina over the last two decades, the article identifies the main theoretical approaches, analytical categories, and key findings concerning the relationships among rurality, migration, labor, education, and public policies. The review shows that existing research has predominantly examined child and adolescent labor from abolitionist or protectionist perspectives, as well as its impact on educational trajectories. It also highlights contributions related to school-based strategies, intersectoral and care policies, and the specific characteristics of horticultural economies shaped by migration processes, particularly those involving Bolivian families. Nevertheless, significant gaps remain regarding the specific experiences of migrant youth attending rural secondary schools and the ways in which educational institutions develop context-sensitive responses to the tensions between schooling, labor, mobility, and interculturality. In this regard, the article identifies theoretical and methodological challenges for future research and argues for the need to deepen studies that recover the voices of educational actors and address the territorial specificities of regions such as the Villarino district in the southwest of Buenos Aires Province.