Discussion Topic: How can Agricultural policies and strategies help to end child labour in agriculture?Case study: Kosha village, Ihugh town, Vandeikya L.G.A Benue state.Questions Attended(1&3): Hunger and Malnutrition, Family Farming.
Introduction:
Benue state is blessed with a fertile soil which has helped her maintain being the "Food basket of the Nation". However research has shown that most of its inhabitants are farmers and earn their living through the sales and exchange of farm produce. And to achieve reasonable yields which is also more money, this people involve their children into farming (Child labour).
FAMILY FARMING:
About 99% of the children in kosha are involved in the overall child labour. About 89% into unpaid family farming, while only about 10% work for clients in planting seasons and get some money for their up keeps.
This however, limit their full participation in academic activities affecting their performances in class. These children have to walk far distances to their parents farms and may even spend the whole day working in their parent farm lands. They sometimes get involved in domestic, road and chemical accidents in the process. They are also in some cases exposed to live threatening hazardous agricultural chemicals and practices due to their level of understanding, education, awareness and orientation as it concerns the chemicals (pesticides, herbicides etc) and tools used in the process.
Kosha is considered a rural settlement in this research, as almost all the children are indigenes and are involved in the said child labour. This may also be attributed to the very poor level of livelihood, family income and lack of good/quality education. The educational sector is even worse especially the government owned schools, as they lack quality/committed teachers, standard infrastructures( such as classes, chairs, Woking laboratories and laboratory equipment and reagents) and payment structures for academic and nonacademic staffs.
HUNGER AND MALNUTRITION:
In Kosha, Ihugh town, Vandeikya L.G.A, Benue state, children work tirelessly and round the clock especially during planting and harvest seasons to be able to meet time, food needs and make usually little income to settle for their school fees/dues, house rents(for students), feeding, clothing, transportation and other family needs and wants.
It used to be quite unfortunate for them as most times, they barely make enough money to settle all or even few of their several needs making it almost impossible to access balanced diet. However, it calls on concerned government and community officials to become responsible, strategize and put in place needed policies to tackle these problems from the root to the branches to at least mitigate its negative impacts on the Children and give them a better future.
POLICIES AND STRATEGIES:
For every government and leader to be successful and achieve her goal and meet the people's need, then good policies are needed to play the tricks.However, policy makers should pay more attention to
- Policies that will investigate causes of hard agricultural child labours, putting into cognisance their gender, age and educational levels.
- Policies that will ensure a total free education from zero to secondary educational levels as this will reduce the need for children working hard to pay their feels and help them invest more time into academic activities.
- Policies that will ensure school meal programs as this will possibly make available highly nutritious meals to the children on daily basis and go a long way in solving malnutrition in children resulting from the one type of meal(carbohydrates) consumed daily due to poverty.
Mr. Godswill Chimdugam Wachukwu