Conference: challenges of eliminating child labor in agriculture and food chains

Around the world, more than 70% of child labor is found in the agriculture sector—an estimated 108 million boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 17, according to estimates from the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The Agenda for Sustainable Development aims to eliminate all child labor by 2030 (SDG target 8.7). This will not be easy. Child labor in agriculture is often effectively invisible because of limited data and because farming remains largely unregulated in many countries. In addition, children working in small-scale agricultural activities remain neglected as organizations focus on battling child labor in global supply chains. Successfully addressing the problem of child labor will require further coordinated research and policy efforts.

Image: Frank Dejongh/UNICEF