COVID-19 PANDEMIC ASSESSMENT BY NIGHT-LIGHTS

Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) - Day/Night Band (DNB) images have been used as an indicator of socioeconomic activity in annual time-series as well as within a year, given the availability of monthly composites. The capacity of VIIRS monthly data to reveal the socioeconomic activity disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is explored here. The light emissions for each municipality in Greece are examined. In specific, monthly 2020 values are compared to the corresponding 2017-9 monthly average values, taken to represent the 'normality'. Two interesting results are derived. First, the impact of the pandemic is actually visible despite the fine spatial scale. Second, and less expected, the magnitude of night-lights dimming is not proportional to the magnitude of the pandemic impact. Dense urbanized areas tend to fluctuate less than sparse urban areas. At the same time it is shown that tourism-dependent areas, that normally attract a high amount of seasonal population and activity, are substantially more affected. © 2021 IEEE.

Exploring the contribution of migrant labour in Greek agriculture

A distinctive feature of Greek agriculture is its important position in the economy and society. Depending on the state of the national economy, and especially in times of economic recession, different population groups may consider agriculture as either a “sector of departure” or a “sector of arrival”. In Greece, migrant labour has become a major component of agricultural production and rural development, especially in areas where intensive agricultural systems prevail. The aim of this paper is to critically discuss the contribution of migrant employment to Greek agriculture in recent decades. First, the paper provides an overview of the academic discussion concerning migrants in rural Greece, offering a framework for interpreting migrant employment in Greek agriculture. This is followed by an analytical account of the structural characteristics of the Greek agricultural sector. Next, the focus turns to the changing features of migrant labour in Greek agriculture since the early 1990s. Methodologically, the paper synthesizes secondary data from various sources. The paper concludes with reflections on the prospects for migrant labour in Greek agriculture, particularly in an era of changing migration flows and restricted mobility due to COVID-19. © 2021 Apostolos G. Papadopoulos, Loukia-Maria Fratsea, Stavros Spyrellis, Pavlos Baltas.