CONTEXT

Increasing numbers of young people enter Sub-Saharan Africa's labour markets each year while industrial jobs only grow slowly. As 62% of Sub-Saharan Africans work in agriculture and as the rural population will continue to rise, agriculture will need to provide additional income- earning opportunities. In this context agricultural technologies should be promoted that can increase food production to answer rising demand and generate decent income-earning opportunities. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is widely promoted in West Africa and could address these needs – but recent findings from Asia present negative social impacts on workers.

OBJECTIVE

This paper explores the mechanisms that shape adoption patterns and impacts of SRI in different (West African) contexts through a labour lens.

METHODS

Our innovative theoretical framework integrates analytical and empirical categories from Farming Systems research and agrarian political economy. The mixed methods approach combines: (1) quantitative analysis of existing survey data from 857 agricultural households in Ghana, Benin and Mali; and (2) qualitative analysis of an in-depth case study in the Oti Region of Ghana.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

SRI increases yield and profitability in West African rice farming, especially when locally adapted. Farmers adjust SRI to fit lowland rice farming, where water cannot be controlled and to address labour constraints. Additional labour for transplanting (instead of broadcasting) – coinciding with an existing labour bottleneck – constrains SRI adoption. SRI is mainly practised by marginal and accumulating farmers and to a lesser extent by medium farmers. Accumulating farmers invest in agriculture, farm profit-oriented and overcome labour constraints by hiring. Thus, they can practise SRI on larger scale and their absolute benefits are higher. Nevertheless, they rely on hired labour to do so, which strengthens workers' bargaining position. Consequently, SRI benefits all: accumulating farmers who employ as well as marginal farmers and hired labourers. Contrary to findings from Asia, SRI seems to be relatively pro-poor in West Africa.

SIGNIFICANCE

While seasonal labour use remains a key constraint to technology adoption, labour intensive technologies can also contribute to increasing income-earning opportunities. The social outcomes of technological change will be shaped by both the existing agricultural practices and the social relations in which a new technology is adopted. Our theoretical framework can inform further research and the application of existing evidence to new contexts.

中文翻译：

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水稻集约化（SRI）系统很差吗？西非的劳工、阶级和技术变革

语境

每年都有越来越多的年轻人进入撒哈拉以南非洲的劳动力市场，而工业就业机会增长缓慢。由于 62% 的撒哈拉以南非洲人从事农业工作，而且农村人口将继续增加，农业将需要提供额外的创收机会。在此背景下，应推广能够增加粮食产量的农业技术，以满足不断增长的需求并创造体面的收入机会。水稻集约化系统 (SRI) 在西非得到广泛推广，可以满足这些需求——但亚洲最近的调查结果对工人产生了负面的社会影响。

客观的

本文从劳动力的角度探讨了在不同（西非）环境中塑造采用模式和 SRI 影响的机制。

方法

我们的创新理论框架整合了农业系统研究和农业政治经济学的分析和实证类别。混合方法结合了：(1) 对来自加纳、贝宁和马里 857 个农户的现有调查数据进行定量分析；(2) 对加纳奥蒂地区深入案例研究的定性分析。

结果与结论

SRI 提高了西非水稻种植的产量和盈利能力，特别是在当地适应时。农民调整 SRI 以适应无法控制水的低地水稻种植，并解决劳动力限制问题。移植（而不是广播）的额外劳动力——与现有的劳动力瓶颈相吻合——限制了 SRI 的采用。SRI 主要由边缘和积累型农民实施，中等农民在较小程度上实施。积累农民投资农业，以农场盈利为导向，通过招聘克服劳动力限制。因此，他们可以更大规模地实践SRI，他们的绝对收益更高。然而，他们依靠雇佣劳动力来这样做，这加强了工人的谈判地位。因此，SRI 使所有人受益：积累雇佣以及边缘农民和雇佣工人的农民。与亚洲的调查结果相反，SRI 在西非似乎相对有利于穷人。

意义

虽然季节性劳动力的使用仍然是技术采用的关键制约因素，但劳动密集型技术也有助于增加创收机会。技术变革的社会成果将受到现有农业实践和采用新技术的社会关系的影响。我们的理论框架可以为进一步研究和现有证据在新环境中的应用提供信息。