I would like to contribute to the question related to inclusive and equitable growth and more especially in relation to child labour elimination in family-based agriculture in the region. The league of Arab States in partnership with FAO and ILO has released in 2019 a qualitative and quantitative analysis of child labour in Arab States (http://www.fao.org/3/ca3190en/ca3190en) which encompasses several country studies about child labour and small-scale farming/agriculture.
Child labour elimination is part of the fundamental rights at work pillar of the decent work agenda and is clearly defined as work that is interfering with the child's education, not appropriate to the child's age (too difficult, to long hours etc.) and detrimental to his/her health and development. Many tasks that children undertake in agriculture are NOT considered child labour. However, child labour in family based agriculture is still widespread with 70% of all child labour as unpaid family work and 71% of all child labour in the large sector of agriculture. It is certainly a consequence of poverty but also a driver of poverty. Unfortunately child labour does not lead to skills development and employability. Child labour also contributes to youth unemployment by replacing potential paid and skilled workers with cheap or free unskilled labour.
Here are some selected solutions that could reduce the exposure of children to hazards, diminish the need for children to contribute to the production and contribute to an inclusive transfromation of agriculture:
- Promote sustainable farming practices, such as integrated pest management, or some farming practices promoted through conservation agriculture and agro-ecology have the potential to reduce child labour by decreasing labour requirements, reducing pesticide us and improving incomes of farmers. that insists on the human health aspects and the specific physical vulnerabilities of children (their bodies and minds are still developing and strenuous tasks and exposure to chemicals will have more detrimental and irreversible impacts on their health)
- Promote labour saving practices, innovation, mechanization that will help reduce the need of workforce, increase the production, and will ease the burden of family farmers; labour-saving technologies (e.g. specialized tools for planting and weeding) or techniques (e.g. mulching) can save farmers’ time and energy, reducing the amount and type of work undertaken by children. Small-scale processing technologies (e.g. peanut shellers) also have the potential to reduce the work burden and free children’s time to attend school. Combining approaches, while also raising awareness in the community about what is child labour, and why it would benefit the community and small farms to send children to school and instead of work, can increase productivity of small-scale agriculture and create opportunities to move up the value chain or diversify income-generating activities.
For more strategies to end chidl labour in agriculture and on why family farming and agriculture would benefit from child labour elimination, see FAO Framework on Ending Child Labour in Agriculture.(http://www.fao.org/3/ca9502en/CA9502EN.pdf)
Ms. Ariane Genthon