Food security poverty reduction and agriculture transformation What s

Food security, poverty reduction and agriculture transformation: What’s decent rural employment got to do with it? Mainstreaming Decent Rural Employment in the Monitoring and Evaluation of agricultural strategies and programs Capacity Development Workshop September 26 -27 2013, Salima, Malawi DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT TEAM (DRET)

Case study – meet Alile and John We visit Alile and John in their maize field and we ask them some questions. What do you think their response will be? -Are you employed? - What challenges do you have as maize growers? DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT TEAM (DRET)

Case study – meet Alile and John were chosen as case study because they represent the majority of the working population in Malawi according to labour statistics. “Are you employed? ” q On-farm self-employed (most often subsistence farming) q Un-paid family labour (Alile) q q q “What challenges do you have as maize growers? ” Insecure and low income (often seasonal) Limited access to productive resources (such as land, seeds, skills, markets, finance etc) – labour being their most important asset. Limited possibilities to economic diversification Limited access to social protection schemes Poor health, safety and environmental conditions Decen t Work DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT TEAM (DRET) Deficit s

Decent Rural Employment (DRE) – in a nutshell Employment performed ruralpeoplewhichis undertaken by in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity (ILO). • • • Employment, in agriculture or in other rural sectors, which at least: Is not child labour /forced labour. Does not cause discrimination e. g. between women and men. Lifts workers out of poverty and guarantees a certain degree of income stability. Does not prohibit people to get organized (e. g. in cooperatives). Guarantees access to minimal social protection (including through e. g. weather insurance; saving clubs; cash transfers…). Enables workers to get protected from hazards (e. g. to use protective equipment). Does not involve excessive working hours. Gives workers opportunities for learning. Dec ent Rur al E mpl oym ent • • • DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT TEAM (DRET)

What would decent rural employment mean for Alile and John? Some examples… Being able to access sufficient quality food (that they produce or buy). Being able to protect themselves from main occupational hazards in agriculture. Being able to give an education to their children. Joining a cooperative if they want. Having enough time to rest, after work and domestic chores. DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT TEAM (DRET)

DRE and food security Increased agricultural productivity and domestic production FOOD AVAILABILITY Increased incomes derived from labour for men, women and youth FOOD ACCESS Improved health, income and time for preparation of higher quality food FOOD UTILIZATION More investments in health and education, greater livelihood resilience DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT TEAM (DRET) STABILITY

DRE and poverty reduction …Because labour is often the only asset that poor people have and their main source of income …Because thanks to more gainful and productive jobs rural people do not need to sell important assets to face a crisis …Because good jobs empower people and strengthen their skills …Because thanks to more gainful jobs rural people can invest in the education and health of their children thus breaking the vicious cycle of rural poverty MDG 1. B: “Achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people” DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT TEAM (DRET) SDGs

DRE and sustainable Agricultural Transformation Promoting more and better rural jobs will guarantee effective and sustainable agricultural transformation and economic growth, because: . . . a better equipped, healthy and organized workforce will increase agricultural productivity. . stable and gainful jobs will enable households to manage risks and shocks without selling important assets. . women and youth-focused interventions will unlock their productivity potential as food producers, rejuvenating the sector. . more gainful jobs will strengthen domestic demand thus lessening export dependence and building more resilient production systems. DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT TEAM (DRET)

Actions to promote DRE? DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT TEAM (DRET)

Actions to promote DRE – shopping list q Address DRE in agriculture and rural development policies, strategies and programmes. q Collect statistics on rural labour markets. q Extend labour standards to rural areas (e. g. labour inspections etc). q Improve access to productive resources (e. g. technology, inputs, markets etc). q Social protection schemes to also cover small producers and informal workers. q Adopt Occupational Safety and Health measure for the rural workforce. q Improve opportunities for rural youth to find decent rural employment. q Put in place mechanisms to prevent child labour (e. g. education, technology, livelihood alternatives etc). q Strengthen rural democratic organizations and networks. q Include rural poor in policy dialogue. DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT TEAM (DRET)

To bear in mind. . . • Decent work deficits differ as per country / region / sub-sector / value chain. • Eg. Our maize growers Alila and John might encounter different challenges than another family growing maize in another country. • When formulating actions to promote DRE – evidence will help us ensure we plan correctly and respond to real and well-defined needs. • This is why M&E – sound and up to date data – is key. DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT TEAM (DRET)

Thank you! DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT TEAM (DRET)