Researsh & Study
Agriculture is the largest sector of employment in Bangladesh and remains the predominant sector in terms of employment and livelihood. It is difficult to define agriculture labour like industrial labour. With rapid rural to urban migration, absentee land ownership has been growing. The medium and large land owners are leaving farming as agriculture is not profitable due to high cost of input and low cost of crops. The agriculture labourers are most neglected in society; seasonal unemployment, underemployment, irregular employment, low wage, seasonal hunger and poverty are manifested in the daily lives and livings. They are excluded from labour rights, education, health and basic social services. They are trapped in unequal social relation that there is no or very limited opportunity for upward social and economic mobility. The agricultural laborers are both extreme and chronic poor. So far, no successful initiatives taken at national level towards organizing the workers in this sector. FNV through its two partners Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF) and OSHE, is planning to support a program (pilot) to initiate organizing of
Objectives: The objective of the study is to provide insight into current status of agriculture workers and their organization in Bangladesh. It is covering the Issues of agriculture workers and their organization across Bangladesh. Additionally, Public policy focusing, contribution to food security etc. included here.
Methodology: This study utilized the qualitative approaches of data collection. The primary data were collected through interview, in-depth interview and FGDs. In addition, case stories on critical issues were collected. The secondary sources of data were relevant books, journals, articles on agriculture workers.
Findings: Agriculture sector remains the largest employment, engaging about 48% of the employed population as of 2010, Approximately 69% of employed women work in agriculture. The substantial role of women in home-based agricultural activities such as poultry raising, homestead gardening, and non-farm services, whereas men often engage in non-farm activities like business and transport. The high prevalence of small farmers, who constitute more but operate less than half of the total agricultural land. Migration of farmers to urban areas has led to an increase in absentee land ownership, exacerbating the challenges for agricultural labourers and small farmers who cultivate these lands. Agricultural labourers often face seasonal employment, irregular wages, and patron-client relationships that further entrench their socio-economic vulnerabilities. They frequently lack access to government services. Despite their crucial role in food production, agricultural labourers are among the most food-insecure populations. The limitations of safety net programs and the Public Food Distribution System exacerbate this issue.
Recommendation: The agriculture labourers organizations should demand and struggle for comprehensive law for safety and security of agriculture labourers and also have to struggle for comprehensive land and agrarian reform; have to demand to ratify the ILO conventions 141, 184, 107 and have to make national laws accordingly. In order to materialize these, organization of agriculture labourers needs to be organized and mobilized on rights-based framework.
