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Theoretical Review of Labour in Agriculture

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Theoretical Review In ages prior to now the formulation of an agriculture industry was conceptualized, arguably agriculture can be deemed as the first wide scale economic activity. It serves as the sustenance of mankind, the oldest most reliable energy source for human beings; food production. Throughout the ages agriculture as we know it has changed. As economies developed from subsistence to trade and developed trading economies so has agriculture. Currently, in today’s world, we see agriculture as an important industry to any nation. It serves as one of, if not the most, powerful poverty reduction sectors in any nation. This is so because agriculture dominates the rural areas; which are notorious for being resource immobile, isolated and poverty stricken. Henceforth, implications for agriculture and its development becomes an important concern for every nation.

Labour being an important factor of production, and one which is most variable in the short run, an analysis on its influence in agricultural production seems almost mandatory.

In this sector of interest, the labour available tends to diverge from those of other sectors, in terms of characteristics. Labour in agricultural production is characterized by “a high age of agricultural workers & low levels of educational attainment”(A.Bailey, 2012). This signifies relatively low levels of human capital in the industry and hence restricts the sector from utilizing skilled labour. What is human capital? Human capital can be referred to as the set / stock of skills an individual possess that can be rented out to employers. These skills are garnered by training, education and experience. The value of these stocks of skills is determined by the wage rate they receive in the labour market. People seek to develop their human capital if they expect a high return in the future for

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