Readily available data at the global and regional levels

This section describes the types of data that are readily available in FAO's statistical database, FAOSTAT, in order to illustrate the main point of this publication - basic information exists, but more detailed and disaggregated data are necessary for a responsible socio-economic analysis of the gender-related aspects of agricultural and rural development.

FAO's role is not to produce primary statistics, but rather to organize global databases, methodologies and analyses. As far as demographic and labour force data are concerned, FAO uses statistics compiled and disseminated by the United Nations and ILO.

The main body of statistics produced by FAO in house are based on national data provided by member countries. Such data are derived from periodic agricultural censuses and from yearly surveys of agricultural production, including forestry and fisheries. The objective of these data collection instruments is to monitor the inputs, outputs and management of agricultural holdings so as to formulate policy recommendations for sustainable development and reliable food production systems. However, FAO's databases do not - nor is it their purpose to - incorporate the detailed agricultural labour force data that are necessary to address broader social issues concerning agricultural employment and rural development in the context of the overall economy. To study these aspects, demographic and labour force data are compiled by FAO within the framework of an interagency working group including the United Nations and ILO.

A comprehensive picture of a population, presenting the rural/urban and male/female distribution as well as linkages with agricultural and non-agricultural activities, can be formed only on the basis of data from population censuses and labour force surveys that cover the whole population. Tables 1 to 4 present an overview of the population distribution in developing and developed countries and also show the relative importance of agriculture.

POPULATION GROWTH AND DISTRIBUTION

Table 1 indicates that, of the total 5.8 billion people in the world in 1997, 78 percent lived in developing countries. It also shows that, although the population growth rate is generally decreasing, the growth rate for the developing countries is more than three times that of the developed countries in the current decade; and that, of the 54 percent of the world population living in rural areas in 1997, more than 80 percent were dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods.

TABLE 1

Source: FAOSTAT.
* Low-income food-deficit countries.

GROWTH OF THE LABOUR FORCE AND THE RELATIVE SHARE OF AGRICULTURE

Table 2 indicates that the growth rate of the labour force in the developing countries is more than three times that of the developed countries in the current decade, which is similar to the difference in population growth rates in these two country groupings. It shows that, although the share of agriculture in the total labour force is declining, agriculture continues to be the main activity for the majority of the labour force in developing countries; and among the developing regions, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest percentage of labour force engaged in agricultural activities, i.e. almost three times that of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

TABLE 2

Source: FAOSTAT.
* Low-income food-deficit countries.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE LABOUR FORCE BY SEX

Table 3 indicates that, in developing countries, there has been a steady increase in the proportion of women in the agricultural labour force. Moreover, the proportion of women in the total labour force of the developing countries is lower than that of the developed countries. However, the reverse situation is true for the agricultural labour force. Women constitute about 44 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries.

The Table raises further issues for consideration:

• the causes, consequences, patterns and extent of work-related male migration, which means farming being left in the hands of women, children and elderly people;
• the employment-recording system on two levels: in all sectors of agriculture in developing countries, and in the informal sector (where the majority of women work);
• the measurement and evaluation of women's labour on the farm and at home;
• the percentage of women's labour force in developing countries, differentiated by seasonal, part-time and full-time labour.

TABLE 3

Source: FAOSTAT.
* Low-income food-deficit countries.

DISTRIBUTION OF WOMEN'S LABOUR FORCE BY ACTIVITY

Table 4 shows that, in the developing countries, the majority of women in the labour force are engaged in agricultural activities. On the other hand, in the developed countries, only a small proportion is engaged in agriculture, and this share is decreasing over time. In 1997 only 7 percent of women in developed countries were engaged in agricultural activities compared with 63 percent in developing countries. However, Latin America and the Caribbean followed the pattern of developed countries; only 11 percent of women were engaged in agriculture in this region in 1997.

The evolution of the percentage of women in developed countries (decreasing) and in developing countries (slightly decreasing but still high) calls for a readjustment of development policies, in particular with regard to the types of proposed activities and related training and extension programmes, and the creation of an enabling environment. To this end, livelihood analysis at the household and community levels has proved a useful tool for agricultural planners.

TABLE 4

Source: FAOSTAT.
* Low-income food-deficit countries.

POPULATION DENSITY AND THE STRUCTURE OF AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY

In many developing countries, agriculture is treated as an activity that affects the lifestyle of the entire family, rather than as a business proposition. The sector involves a large number of people and institutions.

Table 5 presents data on population density and the availability of arable land plus land under permanent crops per agricultural worker. It indicates that, in most of the developing countries (except for Latin America and the Caribbean), the availability of land per agricultural worker is less than 1 ha.

TABLE 5

Source: FAOSTAT.
* Low-income food-deficit countries.

LAND AVAILABILITY, INCOME AND WOMEN IN THE AGRICULTURAL LABOUR FORCE

Based on a classification of 84 developing countries by average income and land availability per agricultural worker, Table 6 emphasizes that women's share in the labour force is generally high in countries where land availability and income per agricultural worker are low.

These figures illustrate one of the characteristics of poverty in rural areas and the faster increase in the poverty rate of the female population. Since access to other resources (technology, credit, rural organizations) is conditioned by landownership, female poverty cannot be addressed without an explicit intervention by institutions outside the household that provide credit (such as rural banks), and without the support of an enabling legal and policy environment.

TABLE 6

Women's share in the total agricultural labour force in selected developing countries, classified by income and agricultural land classes
Average income per week per agricultural worker	Arable land and land under permanent crops per economically active agricultural worker
	Less than 0.5 ha	0.51-1.0 ha	1.01-1.5 ha	More than 1.51 ha	All land classes
(percentage)
Less than $5	48.4	50.1	49.1	49.7	48.7
$5-10	47.8	38.2	...	54.1	44.6
$10-20	39.7	41.4	43.6	38.0	40.9
$20-40	44.2	24.5	16.7	43.9	34.8
More than $40	...	29.3	18.6	19.9	20.8
All income classes	47.8	38.9	34.9	30.5	43.4

Source: FAOSTAT and World Bank, 1999b.