The lack of social security and the widespread informality of the labour force are two of the most important factors contributing for poverty among rural population in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This is one of the main conclusions of a joint study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture (FAO).
The report notes that despite the agricultural boom and economic growth registered in the region in recent years, poverty among the rural population fell by only 6% in 20 years, from 60% in 1980 to 53% in 2010.
This is caused by what researchers call structural problem such as the absence or noncompliance of the minimum wage, lack of social protection, reduced unionization and informal hiring methods.
Moreover, the report called “Market Policies and Rural Poverty in Latin America” indicated that child labour and discrimination against women were not properly addressed by most governments in the continent.
"Women represent 20% of the agricultural workforce in Latin America and the Caribbean and play a key role in food security, but do not have equal access to resources and face discrimination in the labour market, both in terms of their wages and working conditions", said FAO Regional Representative, Raúl Benítez.
The large number of workers still in the informal sector is key to understanding this situation, the report said. New intermediation mechanisms and outsourcing practices have also increased the precariousness of employment and the consequent prevalence of poverty.
"The large number of people working in the informal rural sector indicates the presence of a significant deficit of decent work in our region. It means they have to make their living in precarious conditions, without social security or rights and earning low wages "said Elizabeth Tinoco, ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
According to Alicia Barcena, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, "it is essential to promote policies that allow economic growth and increases in productivity, but complemented by policies to improve the living conditions of the rural labour force. This is to ensure that productivity gains translate into better income and therefore reduced poverty".
This is the second edition of the study which started in 2010 involving extensive research in 12 countries in the region. The new edition launched in August 2012 incorporates data collected from Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay.
