There is also evidence that were it not for immigration in the USA, small-scale farmers in Mexico would be in even worse shape. The Mexican peasant is being aided by remittances the money migrant workers in the USA send home to families in Mexico. Remittances helps explain why 3 million farms continued to grow corn in Mexico, in spite of their tremendous comparative disadvantage relative to US growers. Laura Carlsen(2003), Director of the Mexico City-based Americas Program of the International Relations Center(IRC), claims remittances serve two roles