Microsoft Word - ICARRD input paper Agricultural Labour.doc

Abstract

Draft -Please do not cite. Most often agricultural workers and labourers have not been favourably considered in and benefited by land reform processes, while this adds to their marginalisation and it is also one of the reasons why land reform is not always successful in terms of poverty reduction. This paper examines the extent to which agricultural workers/labour are stakeholders in land reform, drawing conclusions from case study illustrations and theoretical literature about the ways different land reform processes impact on agricultural workers/labour. By paying adequate attention to this significant group of poor and vulnerable people, and ensuring provision of appropriate complementary inputs and services, land reform processes can effect poverty reduction by protecting property rights, improving productivity and conditions of labour and contributing to sustainable rural development