Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a...
Transcript of Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a...
![Page 1: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Role of Agricultural Extension
Services in eliminating child
labor in Malawi
Paper presented at the Malawi National Child
Labour Conference in Agriculture in Malawi
4-6 September 2012
![Page 2: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Introduction
Mandate of DAES
• To provide quality agricultural extension
services for increased adoption of improved
technologies for farmers of all gender
categories for improved household and
national food, nutrition and income security
![Page 3: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Introduction….
Strategies used by the department
• Lead farmers
• Multimedia campaigns
• Farmer groups, cooperatives and associations
• Clusters
• Model villages
![Page 4: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Implementation Structure
![Page 5: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector
• Manifested in cases where children work in
– commercial farms
– family farms
• The work include
– weeding, tending to seedlings, applying fertilizers
and pesticides and carrying heavy loads
• Intensity of work increases during peak production periods e.g. planting, weeding, harvesting
• It is also a child care issue- where children
accompany their parents to the fields
![Page 6: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Why should we be concerned?
Has negative consequences in both childhood and
adult hood
• Children can be injured, contract diseases or even
killed
– Injuries as a result of lack of protective wear
– Respiratory problems due to tobacco dust and fumes
– Skin infections due to dangerous chemicals
![Page 7: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Why should we be concerned?
• Children have no time to attend school or skill
development sessions
– Have no time to go to school
– Play with their friends and other socio-cultural activities
– Worse for girls because of household chores
• Elimination of child labor in agriculture is therefore
important to ensure availability of a healthy future
agricultural workforce for sustainable development.
![Page 8: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Roles
Increase awareness of child labor issues amongst
farmers
•The department has wide coverage at grassroots
• 1887 extension workers
• reaching out to over 2.7 million smallholder farmers
![Page 9: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Roles…
Development production and distribution of IEC
materials on child labor •Posters, leaflets
•Video documentaries and radio programs
![Page 10: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Working with young farmers clubs
•Create awareness
amongst fellow
youths
•Platform for lobbying
with parents and
estate owners to
desist from child
labor
•Skills development
amongst vulnerable
youths
![Page 11: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Roles…
• Promotion of time and labor saving technologies to
reduce labor demand
![Page 12: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Gaps
• Limited knowledge amongst extension staff in child
rights and child labor issues
• Extension staff work with smallholder farmers where
occurrence of child labor is lower as opposed to estates
• Limited collaboration between agriculture extension
staff and other institutions working in child rights
work at community levels
![Page 13: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Recommendations
• Build capacity of agriculture extension staff in child
rights and child labor issues.
• Strengthen efforts to create awareness among
farmers and the general public on the disadvantages
of child labor in agriculture
• Promote the introduction of social safety nets and
agro based income generating projects for
vulnerable households
• Promotion of farm mechanization
![Page 14: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Conclusion
• Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a
serious social issue requiring urgent action by
various stakeholders
• The department one of the key institutions which can
play a critical role in eliminating child labor to ensure a future healthy and vibrant agriculture workforce.
![Page 15: Role of Agriculture Extension Services · • Child labor in Malawi’s Agriculture sector is a serious social issue requiring urgent action by various stakeholders • The department](https://reader033.fdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022042917/5f5a3c62d50d811f5d51d0a5/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Thank you for your attention