Farmers
Without farmers (male and female), there is no farming. The produce food and non-food products on farms for their own livelihood, the market or just for pleasure. In 2019, about 928 million people were working in farming as family members or hired . From the past until today, the image of farmers in many societies and cultures is DPS: dirty, poor, stupid. Farming is hard and dignified work. Respect and appreciation for the work is due from everyone who eats.
Many small farms, especially those in poor locations or in poor conditions and with an endangered economy, have no farm succession. The same applies to coastal fisheries. In most cases, not all children can be supported by these farms when they grow up, as the production base is insufficient. As a result, many children leave their parents' farms to secure their future elsewhere - preferably in the city or in non-farming jobs. These farms are managed by the parents for as long as they can. When they can no longer manage the work, the farms fall into disuse or are taken over by larger farms. This “growing and changing” takes place all over the world: in rich and poor countries.
Successful earning money with agriculture today requires considerable knowledge, skills and attitudes "to be a good and proud farmer". A academic degree in agriculture is common for qualified and economically successful farming in developed countries, even if it is not mandatory. At least one practical training (apprenticeship) is common before taking over a farm. Training in agriculture covers not only cultivation techniques and animal husbandry methods, but also economics, craftsmanship in metal, wood and stone, computer skills, ecology, law, employee management and much more. Operating machinery and equipment is challenging and mistakes are expensive. This is why wages and family incomes in agriculture in developed countries and full-time farms are competitive with other professions.
Farmers often have a high level of equity in the form of land, buildings, machinery, animals and stock. Even if this work-ing capital is not directly available for financial transactions, it still represents a high level of security for taking out loans.
Photo: Men control farming. They have usually the ownership and legal rights of the farm, make the decisions and manage the business. Nevertheless, in many cultures they are hard working on the farm.
As a rule, women do not have the ownership of the farm, neither for the management and deci-sions of the activities. This is usually reserved for men. Without women, however, farming would not function or be successful. Many women work hard in agriculture, despite their family work to run the household and look after the children. This injustice in the distribution of property and work can be found all over the world. Good marriage contracts and a high level of awareness of the multiple burdens imposed by men and society are necessary for women to be valued and given justice.
Photo: Hard working women in harvesting rice
Child labor (ages five to seventeen) in agriculture, forestry, fishing and aquaculture as well as in agricultural processing and domestic work on farms is still common in many countries today. ILO (2010) estimates the numbers at around 98 million girls and boys, who generally come from the families of the farms. That are more than two third of all children in work (152 million: 64 million girls and 88 million boys, ILO 2017, cited in EU 2021b). Half of them is between five and seven years old. They must help at a young age or even carry out the work themselves. This can make educational sense for light work that requires a reasonable amount of time and does not involve missing out on school and play. However, the level is difficult to define and is set arbitrarily.
In many agrarian cults, child labor is seen as natural and necessary. In mostly poorer households, the family cannot manage without substantial help. Girls tend to be employed in the household and in the processing of agricultural products. This often includes milking, working in self-sufficient gardens, cleaning and processing fruit and animal products, but also spinning wool and weaving carpets, fetching water and selling products). Boys are more likely to be employed for heavier work such as herding, digging gardens, lighter farm work, mucking out stables, feeding, watering and checking animals, woodwork, repairing and maintaining equipment and buildings or running errands. In poorer households, schooling can be omitted because too much work must be done. Occupational health and safety are generally not common in poorer households and in child labor.
The ILO (2010) estimates that around 59% of children perform hazardous work (e.g. accidents/injuries, contaminations/poisons, infec-tions/illnesses, behavioral and postural problems). The International Labor Standards and Child Labor in Agriculture was defined by ILO in 2010 and confirmed in 2019 . The United Nations (2012) have declared in Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 Ending Child Labour by 2025 . It can be doubted, that this will be achieved.
Photo: Hard working boy is milking goat and sheep, every day in the morning and the evening. Sleeping in the box close to the milking barn.
Photo: Hard working handicapped farmer with his bees and vegetable garden
Independend or depending farmers
Agricultural labor and property regimes around the world take a wide variety of forms, shaped by history, ecology, political systems, and global markets. In practice, these regimes often over-lap, but they can be analytically distinguished by the way land is owned, labor is organized, and power is distributed.
One of the most widespread forms is owner-operated agriculture. In this system, land is owned by the individual farmer or by a family and is cultivated primarily through self-labor, often sup-ported by family members. Owner-operated farms dominate in much of Europe, North Ameri-ca, and East Asia, and they are also common in smallholder agriculture across Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. This regime offers a relatively high degree of autonomy, but farmers are strongly exposed to market volatility, climatic risks, and debt, which can lead to land loss and social vulnerability.
Closely related are tenant farming and sharecropping systems, in which farmers cultivate land they do not own. Landlords may be private individuals, corporations, or the state, and access to land is secured through rent payments or through sharing a portion of the harvest. While tenant farming exists in many parts of the world, sharecropping has been particularly significant in South Asia and historically in the southern United States. These systems often involve unequal power relations, limited incentives for long-term investment, and persistent poverty among ten-ants.
Cooperative and collective forms of agriculture represent an alternative organization of land and labor. In these systems, land and productive resources are owned or managed jointly, and agri-cultural work is carried out by members of the cooperative. Examples range from voluntary producer cooperatives in Europe to more ideologically driven collective farms such as the Israeli kibbutzim or socialist collectives in China and Vietnam. Cooperatives can generate economies of scale and reduce individual risks, but they may also face challenges related to internal gov-ernance, bureaucratization, and unequal participation.
State-owned agricultural enterprises constitute another distinct regime. Here, land and means of production are controlled by the state, and workers are employed as civil servants or contract laborers. Such systems were prominent in socialist economies, including the Soviet Union and Cuba, and continue to exist in various forms in parts of Africa and Asia, often focusing on ex-port crops like sugar, cotton, or palm oil. These enterprises are frequently criticized for ineffi-ciency, weak incentives, and political interference, though they may also play a role in food se-curity and rural employment.
In many regions, agriculture is organized primarily around wage labor. Large-scale commercial farms and plantations are owned by private companies or wealthy landowners and rely on hired workers, often on a seasonal or temporary basis. This model is typical of agribusiness in coun-tries such as the United States, Brazil, and Australia, as well as plantation economies in Latin America and Southeast Asia. While wage-based agriculture can be highly productive, labor conditions are often precarious, with migrant and informal workers facing low wages, limited legal protection, and poor living conditions.
Photo: Sovjet socialism and communism in the second half of the 20th century brought a lot of work for farm workers but only little yield and wealth
A well-functioning body is essential for the hard work in agriculture. However, there are also many activities on farms that are easy to learn and/or easy to do. This means that mentally or physically impaired people can also experience meaningful work in agriculture and be part of a productive society.
Photo: Hard “Work for Food” of an employee from former slavery and a German trainee. Agricultural work is also always an opportunity for different cultures and skills to meet and work together. In practical work, cooperation makes sense and is often necessary. For example, in this photo shows, how in Brazil a descendant of former slaves (he liked to wear white cloths) and a German agricultural student (no special cloths preferences) working on a farm together. The small-scale farm was owned by an American IBM-expat (left his “boring job”) for self-sufficiency. Both are contracted farm workers, an employee and a trainee. Jointly they trans-ported a tidily tethered pig across a crop field on a wheelbarrow. One pulls, the other steers. The pig doesn't get much out of it, it will be slaughtered. All three and the owner’s family have taken part in the evening barbecue.