Agricultural Workforce Research Articles

Perceptions of an ageing agricultural workforce and farmers’ productivity strategies: Evidence from Prachinburi Province, Thailand

Thailand’s agriculture is facing an ageing workforce, which could negatively influence agricultural production. Yet, there is still limited evidence regarding the perception of the ageing agricultural labour force in the country and a lack of insights into farmers’ strategies to improve agricultural output. To fill this gap, we analysed primary data from questionnaire-based surveys of 365 households in Prachinburi Province, Thailand. The results show that household poverty, farm experience, retirement, health concerns, and farm accidents are positively associated with the farmers’ perception on the ageing workforce, whereas education level, having an ageing farmer in the family, farm size, mentoring and access to new technology have a negative influence on the perception of the ageing workforce. Given the anticipated implications of the population ageing in Thailand, the government should consider establishing policy options to encourage younger entrants into the agricultural sector and prioritising policies related to intergenerational support.

FAKTOR PENARIK DAN PENDORONG TRANSFORMASI TENAGA KERJA DI KAMPUNG AIMASI

The existence of push and pull factors for the transformation of the agricultural workforce is a reflection of the condition of the non-agricultural sector which is considered to be more profitable and / or the condition of the agricultural sector which is no longer profitable. The research aims to examine the pull and push factors of labor transformation in Aimim Village and identify the types of non-agricultural sector jobs carried out by transformed workers. The respondent was determined using the snowball technique (snowball). The method of data analysis obtained in this study is processed using tabulation analysis which is the driving factor for wages, farm income, land area, risk. Attractor factors for non-agricultural income, working conditions, education level

Basque Immigrants and Nevada's Sheep Industry: Geopolitics and the Making of an Agricultural Workforce, 1880–1954

Basque Immigrants and Nevada's Sheep Industry: Geopolitics and the Making of an Agricultural Workforce, 1880–1954

Kontribusi Generasi Muda Dalam Pertanian Indonesia

Indonesia is one country that relies on the agricultural sector as its superiority. However, the need for good quality and human resources in recent years has diminished especially in the agricultural sector so that it will affect the contribution of the young agricultural / young generation workforce to the success of agriculture in Indonesia. This study aims to determine 1) the contribution of young generation agricultural sector workers in Indonesia 2) the development trend of the younger generation workforce in the agricultural sector 3) efforts to lure young people to work in the agricultural sector. The research method used is descriptive analytic method. The data used are secondary data from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Central Statistics Agency of Indonesia. The data analysis method uses the contribution method and trend line analysis. Based on the results and discussion above, it can be concluded that the value of the contribution of the agricultural youth workforce from 2014 to 2019 tends to decrease. The trendline for the development of the young agricultural workforce is y = - 518017x + 4E + 07 and is negative or will decline in the following years. Efforts to increase the interest of young people can be done in various ways such as improving education, making young entrepreneurs in agriculture and providing incentives in agriculture to attract the interest of young people working in agriculture

Dynamics of reallocation within India\u2019s income distribution

It is well known that inequality has been rising in India in the recent past, but the assumption has been that while the rich benefit more than proportionally from economic growth, the poor are also better off than before. Our modelled outcomes (using the RGBM framework) cast doubt on this proposition. We find that the income share dynamics are consistent with a negative reallocation since the early 2000s, i.e., the Indian income distribution possibly entered a regime of perverse redistribution of resources from the poor to the rich. Our model suggests that the historically low-income shares of the bottom decile (~ 1%) and bottom percentile (~ 0.03%) are possibly due to a decline in real incomes in the 2000s. We find qualified support for these theoretical predictions using income distribution data. We characterize these findings in the context of increasing informalization of the workforce in the formal manufacturing and service sectors as well as the growing economic insecurity of the agricultural workforce in India. Significant structural changes will be required to address this phenomenon.

Feminization of Indian Agriculture: A Review

After liberalization the Indian agriculture went through a phenomenon called feminization of agriculture which means increase the share of women in agricultural work force. However this feminization was not consistent with empowerment as still a these workforce are underpaid as compare to its male counterpart. The differences in participation between men and women workers were lowest to the states with higher share of workers in agriculture. In order to understand the factors determining this phenomenon, constraints causing the impediment the participation and policies to overcome it, a number of literature had been compiled in this paper. Feminization in agriculture occurred due to migration of male work force from agriculture. However, this phenomenon does not consistent with empowerment as women work force are always underpaid. Proportion of land utilized for food grain, per capita income, land holdings were some of the factors which were determining the women’s participation. In order to improve the situation for women government are now focusing on gender budgeting. Besides women’s participation in research work had been encouraging to develop technology which will be suitable for the use of women.

Measurement of urinary pesticide biomarkers among Latina farmworkers in southwestern Idaho

BackgroundWomen who work in agriculture may have greater risk of pesticide exposure than men who share this occupation. Despite an increase in the fraction of the agricultural workforce comprised by women, few studies have characterized pesticide exposure in the USA with a focus on among these workers.ObjectiveThis pilot study aimed to describe pesticide exposure in a cohort of Latina farmworkers in farming communities in southwestern Idaho.MethodsWe collected urine samples from 29 Latina farmworkers, which were analyzed for 11 pesticide biomarkers. We evaluated the effect of pesticide spray season on urinary biomarker levels, and explored the effect of self-reported status as a pesticide handler on measured exposures.ResultsNo significant differences were found between biomarker levels in samples collected during the nonspray and spray seasons. We observed 11 extreme outlying values in samples collected during the pesticide spray season. The most extreme outlying values (MDA: 51.7 ng/mL; 3-PBA: 11.8 ng/mL; trans-DCCA: 23.4 ng/mL; and 2,4-D: 31.1 ng/mL) were all provided during the spray season by women who reported loading, mixing or applying pesticides.ConclusionsThese results provide suggestive evidence that Latina farmworkers who handle pesticides during the spray season may be at an increased risk of exposure to organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides, as well as the herbicide 2,4-D. We recommend that future research into pesticide exposures among farmworkers should include particular focus on this group.

Agricultural Safety and Health Learning Methods for Agricultural Workforces.

HIGHLIGHTS Demonstrations and one-on-one training were the most preferred learning methods. The most-used learning methods were electronic methods. Printed materials were preferred and perceived as effective by Baby Boomers. ABSTRACT. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences among generational cohorts in the agricultural workforce in learning methods, including frequency of use, perceived effectiveness, and preference. A total of 211 participants representing the agricultural workforce completed either a paper-based or online questionnaire. Generational cohorts were determined using participants' birth years. The results show that regardless of the generational cohort, demonstrations and one-on-one training were the most preferred learning methods and were also perceived as the most effective methods. Participants indicated that they mostly use electronic methods to learn about agricultural safety and health. Generational differences were found for some learning methods. Printed materials were found to be preferred and perceived as effective by Baby Boomers more so than the other cohorts. Electronic methods were mostly used by Gen X and Millennial participants. For learning about agricultural safety, demonstrations are the most preferred and most effective methods but are not used as frequently as the other learning methods. Agricultural safety education should continue delivering safety demonstrations.

Проблемы послевоенной крестьянской миграции в актах о прибытии переселенческих эшелонов в Калининградскую область

The relevance of the research is determined by the necessity for study of the set of documents related to the migration of the rural population in the Soviet country after the World War II. The movement of the Soviet peasantry was an important part of the resettlement process on a national scale. An array of primary data from the echelon lists of migrants stored in a number of regional archives has not yet been introduced into scientific circulation. It is in them that informa-tion is concentrated on the composition of the migrant’s families, their nationality, education, pro-fession, labor activity, property and places of exit, up to village councils. We analyze the content of acts on the arrival of migrants to the Kaliningrad Region. Its agricultural workforce was formed primarily through migration organized by the authorities. The materials of the acts reflect impor-tant aspects of the organization and conditions of the controlled movement of the peasantry across the Soviet Union. Acts on the acceptance of resettlement echelons, along with statistical sources, memoirs and administrative and managerial documentation, allow you to reconstruct an objective picture of the Soviet resettlement campaign in the post-war period.

Assessing the Effect of Environmental Heat Stress on Maternal Physiology and Fetal Blood Flow in Pregnant Subsistence Farmers in West Africa

Background: Anthropogenic climate change has led to increasingly extreme temperatures worldwide. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including West Africa, is considered especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate extremes. In SSA women make up 50% of agricultural workforce and often work throughout pregnancy, while maternal exposure to high temperatures increases the risk of adverse birth outcomes. Understanding the physiological mechanisms responsible is central to designing targeted interventions to reduce the risks of heat exposure. Method: This observational cohort study utilised the high heat stress in West Africa to gain understanding of the physiological impact of heat on maternal and fetal physiology. Pregnant subsistence farmers who performed manual tasks throughout pregnancy were observed during field visits where environmental measurements, maternal physiology (e.g. heat strain) and fetal stress (fetal heart rate > 160 or < 115, or increase in umbilical artery resistance index) were measured. Results: A total of 92 participants were included (122 field visits). Extreme heat stress was observed in 31% of field visits. Maternal temperature, heat strain and fetal heart rate were all significantly increased from baseline to working. Fetal stress occurred in 41/122 (33%) field visits. Multilevel modelling revealed that fetal stress was significantly associated with both Universal Thermal Climate Index (OR 1·17, CI 1·05;1·29, p=0.01) and gestational age (OR 1·12, CI 1·02;1·22, p=0.02). Interpretation: Decreasing maternal exposure to heat stress in later pregnancy may reduce fetal stress, a potential pathophysiological mechanism leading to adverse birth outcomes. There is an urgent need to explore this further. Funding Information: This project was funded by the Wellcome Trust through the Wellcome Trust Global Health PhD Fellowship awarded to AB (216336/Z/19/Z). Declaration of Interests: None declared. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the Gambia government/MRC Joint ethics committee and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Ethics Advisory Board (ref: 16405) in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (2013).

An analysis of Indian agricultural workers: A ridge regression approach

The agriculture sector in India cannot productively employ the growing rural labour force, and farmers are forced to look for other employment for their livelihood. This paper attempts to understand the increasing marginalization of the Indian agricultural workforce through different parameters which were influenced with multicollinearity. To handle multicollinearity in the data, this paper uses the ridge regression technique. The results shows that the value of the ridge constant K was found to be 0.02, at which the ridge regression model estimated the number of Indian agricultural workers more precisely than the ordinary least squares model.

Exploratory analysis of women's right of access a land case of Mali

The relevance of the study: Several factors combine to explain this situation, including the poor equipment of farms and the lack of supervision and strong support from the public authorities. In addition to these factors, the lack of security of land tenure is a major problem facing farmers [1]. This problem of land rights is exacerbated by women's poor access to farmland despite the fact that they make up a very large part of the agricultural labor force. Mali is a country whose economic structure is strongly dominated by the primary and tertiary sectors. In 2017, the contribution of the primary sector accounted for 38.34% of GDP, with a large share for agriculture (19 % of GDP). In 2019, it is estimated at 38.43% of GDP [2]. Malian agriculture remains largely dependent on rainfall. It is characterized by low agricultural yields. Problem of the research. Low access to agricultural property rights is a source of demotivation for women who paradoxically constitute the main agricultural workforce. This lack of a consecrated and explicitly recognized right to land ownership reflects the lack of incentives for women and would explain in part the low productivity and low total agricultural production. Subject of the research: women's right of access to agricultural property and its impact on the country's production. The aim of this paper is to reveal the problems women's right of access to land. The following tasks: is to identify the legal arsenal relating to land law directly and to women's right of access to land ownership and to highlight the practical, social and customary difficulties encountered in the implementation of this right. Subsequently, it is necessary to highlight the link between this poor access to agricultural property rights and the low level of agricultural production in Mali. Methods. To deal with this theme we had adopted a feminist and critical posture. The novelty the adoption of the feminist posture helps us to understand women's discourse in a context marked in practice by the implicit denial of women's right to access agricultural land ownership. The paper concluded that he critical approach makes it possible to go beyond this observation to try to understand the relations of force and power between men and women in the particular context of the country. As the result women's right to access land ownership is a recognized and inalienable right in Mali. However, sociological, customary and religious constraints make the implementation of this right on the ground problematic. As a result, despite their significant weight in the agricultural labor force, women have little access to land, farms, inputs and equipment. The corollary of this situation is their low agricultural yield and their low contribution to agricultural value added.

Modern Women and Traditional Gender Stereotypes: An Examination of the Roles Women Assume in Thailand’s Agricultural System

Previous research has demonstrated that empowering women in developing nations has been shown to enhance agricultural productivity and rural development. Although women in Southeast Asia are often considered to be more empowered than in other parts of the world, in Thailand, women still experience persistent barriers to gender equality. In response, this case study examined the positionality of women in Thailand’s agricultural sector by describing their underlying beliefs and values regarding their careers. As a result, three distinct themes emerged: (1) dichotomous gender roles, (2) the perpetuation of gender stereotypes, and (3) positive perceptions and beliefs in gender equality and women’s abilities. The findings illuminated that despite having a distinctly positive perception of themselves and their abilities, women internalize prescribed gender stereotypes in the agricultural industry in Thailand. Such views appeared to impede the participants’ sense of empowerment in the agricultural workforce. Moving forward, we recommend that extension professionals design programming to empower women in Thailand by tailoring professional development opportunities based on regional differences in regard to gendered customs, norms, and traditions. Further, additional research should be conducted to distill the specific topic areas that could be used to stir critical reflection and action among women in Thailand’s agricultural sector. Keywords: agricultural development; gender equality; Thailand; women empowerment

Women in Agriculture

It is observed that while woman share half the population, the share of women among total main workers has been declining. In view of this, the article studies the trend in women workforce in the agricultural sector from 2004–2005 to 2018–2019 and discusses reasons for the declining trend, various gender related challenges faced by women workforce in agriculture and policies which may be implemented to address the same. JEL Classification: J710, J160, J210

Mothers’ Milk: How Gender and Immigration Obscure Agricultural Expertise and Care Work in Dairyland

AbstractGender is a key lens through which to understand industrial agricultural production in rural twenty‐first century communities. Here, I examine the gendered imaginaries of dairy production that perpetuate the meaning of “farmer” as masculine and white. The expertise of Mexican immigrant workers, and particularly that of women on spousal visas, challenges such assumptions and highlights the role of unremunerated labor in sustaining the industrial food chain. Everyday experiences of gender and race are shaped not only by local‐level assumptions but also by federal‐level immigration policies and employer recruitment practices that result in a mostly male immigrant agricultural workforce. In this article, I draw on interviews with rural Minnesota community members, as well as local and regional news coverage, to examine how gender and race intersect to marginalize the work and expertise of Mexican immigrants in the rural Midwest. In this case, Mexican immigrant mothers frame their labor as part of a complex calculus of immigration benefits and sacrifices.

Entry-Level Workplace Competencies Needed by Graduates of a Community College Agriculture Program: A Midwest Case Study Using the Delphi Technique

Community colleges have a strong history of providing vocational education and occupational training to meet changing workforce demands of local industries. In the Midwest, agricultural industries have expressed an expanding need for middle-skilled workers with postsecondary, prebaccalaureate credentials. The 21st century agricultural landscape has changed as a result of the need for efficiency and sustainability, and resulting emergent agricultural technologies. Community colleges will be integral to establishing a qualified agriculture workforce for entry-level, middle-skilled positions. This study utilized a modified Delphi approach to identify entry-level workplace competencies needed by graduates of a community college agriculture program. Delphi panel experts represented leaders from the agronomy-based agriculture industry within the college's district, and initially identified 87 desired workforce competencies. Fifty-eight competencies achieved consensus from the Delphi panel and were categorized by themes: soft skills (26), agronomy-based technical skills (12), technology-based technical skills (9), agriculture mechanic/operator-based technical skills (3), general technical skills (4), and agribusiness-based technical skills (4). Results of this study can be used to inform community college agriculture program development and can be used as a case study for assessing workforce needs of local agricultural industries.

Community-based rural development. The potential of a shrinking village with agriculture vocation

Aging population and migration trends raise diverse issues for most of rural villages, from social exclusion to dismissed buildings and decline of public facilities. In particular, those areas that are more dependent on agriculture are facing stronger challenges, as rural exodus has gradually left behind elder residents who rarely have the necessary mobility and motivation for intensive land work are at particular risk for isolation. The lack of job opportunities and the shortage of agriculture workforce are therefore closely connected: the first one is generally the main push factor of migration; the second one represents the effective consequence of youth massive migration from rural context. The paper investigates the possibility for rural community to be an active player in inverting the trend of shrinking villages. It tries to identify a set of possible actions at neighbourhood scale that, starting with the initiative of local people, can lead to effective rural revitalisation and new social and economic value. This work takes the form of an exploratory study: the Albanian village of Jorgucat is presented as an emblematic case study that epitomizes the issues of most low dense, depopulated settlements with a land-related nature and agriculture vocation. The proposed strategies have a special focus on community engagement, the introduction of innovative public facilities, the promotion of unconventional uses of the land and new working methods. Diverse tangible actions are presented: for each of them, the applicability to Jorgucat context is explained and the reference to a similar up-and-running project is described. Finally, the text argues that some valuable initiatives of rural development might start from local people themselves rather than as a response to government policy, and suggests possible opportunities for transformations and innovations at neighbourhood level.

Agricultural Workforce Crisis in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 and the restrictive measures towards containing the spread of its infections have seriously affected the agricultural workforce and jeopardized food security. The present study aims at assessing the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on agricultural labor and suggesting strategies to mitigate them. To this end, after an introduction to the pandemic background, the negative consequences on agriculture and the existing mitigation policies, risks to the agricultural workers were benchmarked across the United States’ Standard Occupational Classification system. The individual tasks associated with each occupation in agricultural production were evaluated on the basis of potential COVID-19 infection risk. As criteria, the most prevalent virus transmission mechanisms were considered, namely the possibility of touching contaminated surfaces and the close proximity of workers. The higher risk occupations within the sector were identified, which facilitates the allocation of worker protection resources to the occupations where they are most needed. In particular, the results demonstrated that 50% of the agricultural workforce and 54% of the workers’ annual income are at moderate to high risk. As a consequence, a series of control measures need to be adopted so as to enhance the resilience and sustainability of the sector as well as protect farmers including physical distancing, hygiene practices, and personal protection equipment.

Agricultural labor, COVID-19, and potential implications for food security and air quality in the breadbasket of India

To contain the COVID-19 pandemic, India imposed a national lockdown at the end of March 2020, a decision that resulted in a massive reverse migration as many workers across economic sectors returned to their home regions. Migrants provide the foundations of the agricultural workforce in the ‘breadbasket’ states of Punjab and Haryana in Northwest India.There are mounting concerns that near and potentially longer-term reductions in labor availability may jeopardize agricultural production and consequently national food security. The timing of rice transplanting at the beginning of the summer monsoon season has a cascading influence on productivity of the entire rice-wheat cropping system. To assess the potential for COVID-related reductions in the agriculture workforce to disrupt production of the dominant rice-wheat cropping pattern in these states, we use a spatial ex ante modelling framework to evaluate four scenarios representing a range of plausible labor constraints on the timing of rice transplanting. Averaged over both states, results suggest that rice productivity losses under all delay scenarios would be low as compare to those for wheat, with total system productivity loss estimates ranging from 9%, to 21%, equivalent to economic losses of USD $674 m to $1.48 billion. Late rice transplanting and harvesting can also aggravate winter air pollution with concomitant health risks. Technological options such as direct seeded rice, staggered nursery transplanting, and crop diversification away from rice can help address these challenges but require new approaches to policy and incentives for change.

Employer expectations for graduates from Haiti’s agricultural universities

Human capacity building in Haiti’s agricultural sector can be utilized to reduce the country’s food insecurity. Haitian agricultural university and technical schools are responsible for supplying workforce ready graduates and therefore play a role in poverty reduction. Previous research has been conducted to assess these institutions from the perspective of faculty, students, and farmers. However, the employer perspective has not been considered, which could lead to a disconnect between what employers and the university believe are essential skills for graduates to obtain. This study focused on identifying the perceptions of the Haitian agricultural workforce regarding the ability of technical schools to produce graduates. This study used a basic qualitative design involving interviews of Haitian agricultural employers. The interviews revealed employers perceptive of curriculum strengths and weaknesses as well as desired employer skills for graduates. Employers also provided insight into the current job opportunities for graduates as well as what makes an “ideal” employee. We found a disconnect between jobs available and the skills being taught to graduates to fill these jobs. While employers desire employees with strong soft skills, there is a need for more technical skills to be taught at the agricultural schools.