Thumbnail Image

The state of social insurance for agricultural workers in the Near East and North Africa and challenges for expansion

Year of publication 2021

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 58 p.

Author Sato, L.

Publisher FAO and UNDP ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

ISBN 978-92-5-133912-1

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Agricultural workers are exposed to many risks during their life cycle and are particularly vulnerable to covariate risks, such as droughts, armed conflict and pandemics. Despite the great potential of social protection policies to protect this segment of the population, agricultural workers are commonly excluded from social protection systems—especially from contributory schemes—due to legal, programme design, financial, administrative, institutional, participation, and information barriers. This paper analyses the availability of social insurance schemes for agricultural workers in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region, including many types of insurance: old age, disability and survivors’, sickness and maternity, work injury, and unemployment, as well as family and child allowances. In addition, we analyse agricultural insurance schemes, as they play a critical role in protecting agricultural producers from the catastrophic impact of covariate risks. We examine the barriers for agricultural workers to participate in contributory schemes, highlighting good practices being adopted in NENA countries to address them. This paper thus aims to help fill a gap in the literature regarding the role of contributory schemes for agricultural workers. Most importantly, it aims to highlight paths towards more comprehensive social protection systems, capable of addressing the pressing challenges in NENA countries, such as inequities between rural and urban populations, lack of rural development, and insufficient protection for rural families.

Cite this content as:

Sato, L. 2021. The state of social insurance for agricultural workers in the Near East and North Africa and challenges for expansion. Brasília: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth.

https://doi.org/10.4060/cb3150en

Read on Google Books and buy online

Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    Financing social insurance schemes for agricultural workers in the Middle East and North Africa 2022
    Also available in:
    Some of the main barriers preventing the expansion of social insurance (SI) schemes to agricultural workers(AWs) in the region are of a financial nature. Usually, SI schemes rely on the co-responsibility in financing between employers and employees, base contribution values on regular wages, and only accept monthly contributions in cash. This structure excludes AWs who are self employed or do not have stable contracts with their employers, and those with seasonal, low, irregular or non-cash incomes. This research report aims to understand the main financial barriers that may hinder the coverage of AWs by SI schemes in the MENA region, and which strategies can help address them.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    Administrative barriers, capacity constraints and solutions for the inclusion of agricultural workers in social insurance schemes in the Middle East and North Africa 2023
    Also available in:
    Extending the coverage of social insurance schemes to rural areas of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is challenging because of high administrative costs and a lack of necessary capacity. As a result agriculture workers tend to be left out of these schemes. This research report aims to understand the main administrative barriers and capacity constraints that may hinder the coverage of agriculture workers in social insurance schemes, and suggest possible strategies that could be considered to address them.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Methodological note for the project ‘Expanding social insurance for agricultural workers in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries: identifying key constraints and discussing policy options' 2022
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    This note provides details on the methodological approach of the series of Research Reports developed under the project ‘Expanding social insurance for agricultural workers in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries: identifying key constraints and discussing policy options’. This is a joint project between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (NENA) Region (FAO RNE), the International Labour Organization Regional Office for Arab States (ILO ROAS) and the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG).
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.