Decent Rural Employment

The Government of the Republic of Mali makes a strong commitment to reduce and prevent child labour in agriculture

20/01/2012

In June 2011, the Government of Mali approved a national plan to eliminate child labour by 2020 (Plan National pour l’Élimination du Travail des Enfants au Mali, PANETEM). By doing so, child labour is now placed high on the political agenda. The Government acknowledges that child labour has serious consequences for the health, education and development of children and ultimately impacts on productivity and the national economy, and therefore urgent action is needed. 

Understanding child labour in agriculture is a priority

It is important to distinguish what is traditionally considered apprenticeship and child labour. Child labour includes activities that could physically and mentally harm and/or deprive children of their education, childhood and the potential to have a healthy and promising future. 

Child labour takes many forms and is found throughout the different sectors of the economy. However, Mali being predominantly a rural country, almost 60% of child labour is found in agriculture. FAO and the ILO on behalf of the International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture (IPCCLA) jointly supported a research projecton child labour in the rice and cotton value chains followed by the organization of a national workshop in December 2011 to validate and share the results and elaborate a workplan for 2012.

The results of the research indicated that 97% and 75% of the interviewed children between 5 and 17 years old are working in the cotton and rice growing area respectively. Both boys and girls are involved from crop production to processing in these value chains but mainly in weeding, sowing, ploughing and harvesting, while rice transplanting is done mainly by girls. Children are exposed to chemical pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides as well as goring by oxen, snakebites, wounds from sharp tools, fatigue from long working hours, and bilharzias, amongst other hazards.

Over 50% of children are not enrolled in school in the cotton production areas compared to 33% in the rice production area (source: children survey and school administration).  In both areas, there is a low level of school attendance in the first and last quarters, during the planting and harvesting seasons.   

An integrated approach is necessary to tackle child labour

There is a direct link between the level of poverty and food insecurity of families and the level of use of children in agricultural activities. The answers to prevent and reduce child labour lie in the combination of science, technology, and social support systems such as better access to health, education and skills development. While the answers are not the same for small vulnerable family farms compared to larger mechanized farms, an expected increase in productivity and income is needed for all farmers to trigger a change. 

Technologies and practices identified in the research project included the proper training of work oxen, mechanized rice planters and seeders, use of non-chemicals pesticides (Integrated Production and Pest Management) and pooling and sharing of equipment and services, e.g. animal keeping. Farmers will adopt these technologies and practices if they are convinced that they are profitable, increase income and improve living conditions and livelihoods. Group-based learning through Farmer Field Schools was identified as an efficient tool to promote adoption of new technologies and practices. Challenges still remain for the majority of farmers when it comes to availability and affordability of mechanization inputs, mainly due to insufficient agricultural research as well as low purchasing power and poor access to loans.  

Ministry of Agriculture takes the lead, but coordinated efforts among all public and private actors remain essential   

The level of commitment from both labour and agricultural line Ministries to accelerate action to reduce child labour in agriculture has clearly grown. The Ministry of Agriculture took the lead as official organizer of the national workshop on child labour in agriculture in December 2011, supported by the National Child Labour Unit (CNLTE) and the IPCCLA. Subsequently, the Ministry of Agriculture proposed a mechanism to monitor the implementation of planned activities in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour/CNLTE and other key stakeholders.  

Among the larger list of national activities identified for 2012, specific strategic activities could benefit from the support of the IPCCLA, such as the integration of child labour concerns in Farmer Field Schools, agricultural training centers and youth vocational training camps, as well as the piloting of alternative agricultural technologies and practices. However, reaching the ambitious goal of reducing and preventing child labour in agriculture not only requires political commitment but also the allocation of sufficient financial and human resources and good governance to coordinate and implement the planned activities and to create more synergies between farmers, research institutes, non governmental organizations, international agencies and businesses working in agriculture and in rural development.