Labour statistics for agriculture are essential for policy analysis and development of the agricultural sector. The FAO Statistics Division in collaboration with the ILO Bureau of Statistics prepares a number of statistical data time-series to provide comprehensive data for policy analysis. The collaboration includes both methodological work as well as preparation of statistical datasets. The development of a structured agriculture labour statistics framework was a joint undertaking and is currently being populated with data from LABORSTA and other sources.

World-wide estimates and projections of the agricultural population and labour force

World-wide Estimates and Projections of the Agricultural Population and Labour Force are regularly prepared. This work is carried out as part of the combined inter agency programme in the field of global demographic estimates and projections. These estimates are prepared using the population database of the FAO Statistics Division in collaboration with the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) and the estimates and projections of labour force participation of the ILO Bureau of Statistics.

World Census of Agriculture

FAO and ILO work closely in the preparation of materials relating to agriculture labour for the World Census of Agriculture. The Bureau of Statistics of ILO collaborated in the preparation of Guidelines on employment - Supplement to the Programme for the World Census of Agriculture 2000 and reviewed the chapter on employment for the guidelines for the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture (WCA 2010).

Methodology

FAO is also working with ILO in the review of the agricultural occupations related to the ILO October Inquiry and the updating of the ISCO-88 classification. FAO was actively involved in the work of the 17th International Conference of Labour Statisticians relating to the review of resolutions and guidelines in Household Income and Expenditure Surveys (HIES) and price statistics. Currently, FAO is providing the tools for such food security analysis through its International Demonstration Center (IDC) and National Demonstration Centers (NDC) on deriving food security statistics estimates from HIES.

Contacts

FAO Focal Point: Robert Mayo, ESSG (Robert.Mayo@fao.org )

ILO Focal Point: Sophia Lawrence, STATISTICS (lawrence@ilo.org)