Introduction
In today's world the agricultural sector employs half of the world's labour force with an estimated 1.3 billion workers active in agricultural production worldwide. Agriculture is a sector traditionally neglected as a result of the emphasis placed on industrial development in the last 30 years. The majority of agricultural workers are found in developing countries as small scale farmers. They have been more often victims rather than beneficiaries of the green revolution, the technological development and the globalization trends which characterized the 20th century.
Agriculture is one of the three most hazardous sectors of activity, both in industrialized and developing countries. According to estimates from the International Labour Office (ILO), at least 170,000 agricultural workers are killed each year. This means that workers in agriculture run at least twice the risk of dying on the job as compared with workers in other sectors. Agricultural mortality rates have remained consistently high in the last decade as compared with other sectors, where fatal accident rates have decreased. Millions of agricultural workers are seriously injured in workplace accidents with agricultural machinery or poisoned by pesticides and other agrochemicals. Furthermore, due to the widespread under-reporting of deaths, injuries and occupational diseases in agriculture, the real picture of the occupational health and safety of farm workers is likely to be worse than what official statistics indicate.
Although conditions vary greatly from country to country, in most countries only some categories of agricultural workers are covered by national legislation, employment injury benefits or insurance schemes. A large number of agricultural workers are thus deprived of any form of social protection. When national regulations exist, they are often sporadically applied. Effective enforcement is poor due to insufficient labour inspection, lack of understanding and training on hazards and their prevention of both of employers and workers and low levels of organization among agricultural workers. Furthermore, agricultural workers are not subject to any international standard dealing comprehensively with their health and safety.
In order to guarantee sustainable agricultural development in the new millennium, rural workers and their families should have access to adequate working and living conditions, health and welfare. An adequate balance between agricultural growth and the protection of the environment is also crucial for the future of the world's food production and for its sustainability. Agricultural Occupational Health must be integrated into a rural development policy with a well-defined strategy placing an emphasis on prevention and on environmental protection consistent with current and future trends and should be addressed both at national and international levels.