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Book (stand-alone)Agricultural mechanization and child labour in developing countries
Background study
2022Also available in:
No results found.The FAO-IFPRI study, focuses on the use of tractors because they are among the most versatile farm mechanization tools and are universal power sources for all other driven implements and equipment in agriculture, with significant potential to replace animal draught power and human power, including children’s muscle power. Tractor use is typically also the first type of machine-powered equipment in use at lower levels of agricultural development, the context where most child labour is found. Mechanization is mostly assumed to reduce child labour, as it is expected to be labour saving in general. Yet, this is not always the case, as it has also been observed that the use of tractors and other machinery could increase children’s engagement in farm activities. This may be the case if, for instance, their use allows farms to cultivate larger areas, or if it leads to shifting chores of work from hired labor to family workers, e.g. for weeding edges of farmland not reachable by machinery. Evidence has been scant thus far, but the few available studies have mostly lent greater support to the hypothesis that mechanization reduces children’s productive engagement. Most available studies have focused on specific cases and based on scant data. The new FAO-IFPRI study provides a rigorous quantitative assessment for seven developing countries in Asia (India, Nepal and Viet Nam) and sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania) based on comparable farm household survey data. -
BookletWill promotion of agricultural mechanization help prevent child labour?
Policy brief
2021Also available in:
No results found.The FAO-IFPRI study, of which this policy brief is a summary, focuses on the use of tractors because they are among the most versatile farm mechanization tools and are universal power sources for all other driven implements and equipment in agriculture, with significant potential to replace animal draught power and human power, including children’s muscle power. Tractor use is typically also the first type of machine-powered equipment in use at lower levels of agricultural development, the context where most child labour is found. Mechanization is mostly assumed to reduce child labour, as it is expected to be labour saving in general. Yet, this is not always the case, as it has also been observed that the use of tractors and other machinery could increase children’s engagement in farm activities. This may be the case if, for instance, their use allows farms to cultivate larger areas, or if it leads to shifting chores of work from hired labor to family workers, e.g. for weeding edges of farmland not reachable by machinery. Evidence has been scant thus far, but the few available studies have mostly lent greater support to the hypothesis that mechanization reduces children’s productive engagement. Most available studies have focused on specific cases and based on scant data. The new FAO-IFPRI study provides a rigorous quantitative assessment for seven developing countries in Asia (India, Nepal and Viet Nam) and sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania) based on comparable farm household survey data. -
Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetMechanization services in rural communities
Enhancing the resilience of smallholder farmers and creating job opportunities
2019Also available in:
No results found.This publication is about the provision of mechanization services in rural communities and their benefits and limitations for enhancing the resilience of smallholder farmers and creating job opportunities. It is based on the results of a project implemented in Rakhine state (Myanmar) as response of Cyclone Komen and associated flooding in 2015 and drought in 2016. The project increased the availability of two-wheel tractors and water pumps in the rural communities and provided technical support. The direct beneficiaries of small farm machinery were existing farmer groups in the targeted villages committed to provide mechanization services in the long term to other farmers. The timely performance of land preparation with two-wheel tractors translates into increased resilience as farmers have a better capacity to cope with the erratic weather, labour shortages and respond to hazards. Community members including young people were trained as tractor operators, generating additional income and creating jobs. The provision of irrigation services during the dry season supported the cultivation of legumes and vegetables. Recommendations for future interventions include: the promotion of small farm machinery targeting youths, women, landless people and casual labourer as mechanization operators and/or service providers; to include a more equal number of women and men in the farmer groups as mechanization service providers; to continue building the technical capacity of national and local institutions on sustainable agricultural mechanization; to strengthen agri-business capacity of farmer groups providing mechanization services; to facilitate access to micro-finance by smallholder farmers to overcome the high investment of small machinery.
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