Agriculture and food systems in developing countries face significant challenges, not only in terms of economic growth but also regarding the quality of employment and working conditions. As CGIAR focuses on poverty reduction, livelihoods, and jobs, it is crucial to go beyond simply creating jobs or increasing income for farmers. Efforts should also prioritize improving the quality of these jobs, ensuring that they are decent, inclusive, and sustainable.
The agricultural sector in many countries, particularly in the Global South, suffers from various issues such as illegal working conditions, child labor, low wages, poor working conditions, and limited access to social protection. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 112 million children work in agriculture, making up 70% of all child labor. Many agricultural workers, especially smallholder farmers and farm workers, face low wages, irregular employment, and lack access to basic social protections like health insurance or unemployment benefits. These workers often operate in unsafe conditions, enduring long hours and exposure to hazardous chemicals. Additionally, gender inequality remains a significant barrier, with women and youth facing discrimination and limited access to resources, training, and decision-making roles.
Promoting decent work is essential for economic growth and is enshrined in Sustainable Development Goal 8, which aims to “promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.” This goal emphasizes that economic growth should not only increase income but also address the fundamental rights of workers, their safety, and the provision of social protection. The ILO has identified four key areas essential for promoting decent work in the agri-food sector: rights at work, decent jobs and full employment, social protection, and social dialogue, including promoting strong workers’ organizations.
For CGIAR, the challenge is twofold. First, agricultural innovations aimed at increasing yields and incomes must also promote decent work. This includes ensuring that the labor demands of innovations do not contribute to exploitation or abusive practices, such as child labor. Moreover, innovations should reduce the precarity of smallholder livelihoods, rather than making them more vulnerable. Second, CGIAR must track progress on promoting decent work through clear indicators and reporting systems.
To address these issues, CGIAR’s research and innovations can focus on several key areas. Strengthening and enforcing labor laws and regulations to ensure fair wages, safe working conditions, and social protection is essential. Additionally, promoting farmers’ organizations can help improve collective bargaining and workers’ rights. CGIAR can also play a critical role in advancing decent work within agribusinesses by encouraging international standards and responsible business practices. Ethical sourcing and the use of labels that promote positive labor practices can help improve working conditions across the agri-food sector.
Another priority area is empowering women and youth in agriculture through targeted investments in education, training, and skill development. This should include support for small farmers and agricultural workers in adopting modern, fair, and sustainable agricultural practices. CGIAR can also contribute to strengthening social policy dialogue at the national and international levels to address labor issues and promote adherence to international labor guidelines.
Creating an enabling environment for higher agricultural productivity and better jobs requires investment in rural infrastructure, such as roads, irrigation systems, and storage facilities, as well as access to services for rural populations. Such investments would not only increase productivity but also improve the overall conditions in which agricultural workers operate.
While the situation in the agri-food sector remains challenging, it is both possible and morally imperative to create decent work conditions. By investing in research, CGIAR can provide evidence that identifies the scale of the problem and the technical, legal, and policy support necessary to transform agri-food systems into more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable systems. This would ultimately improve the livelihoods of millions of agricultural workers, including women, youth, and children in developing countries.
In 2025, CGIAR will host a series of seminars, in collaboration with the ILO, to introduce their policy guidelines for promoting decent work in the agri-food sector. This collaboration will explore potential synergies between CGIAR and the ILO, particularly at the country level. Further blogs and discussions will continue to explore the complexities of promoting decent work, including issues such as child labor in agriculture. The focus must shift toward promoting decent work in agricultural transformation, ensuring that the benefits of innovation reach everyone in a fair and equitable manner.
