Images of children in sweatshops and factories frequently appear in the news, but it is in rural areas where child labor is more prevalent. Agriculture, not industry, claims nearly 70% of child labor worldwide,exposing children to dangerous working conditions and limiting their educational opportunities. More than 132 million girls and boys between the ages of 5 and 14 currently toil long hours each day in fields across the developing world.

To address this problem, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) represented the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) at the signing on of a declaration of cooperation on June 12, 2007, internationally recognized as the World Day Against Child Labor in Agriculture. Spearheaded by the International Labor Organization, the declaration outlines a pledge of support and partnership to help eliminate child labor in agriculture made by key international organizations including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; International Fund for Agricultural Development; International Federation of Agricultural Producers; and International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations.

In rural areas,work obligations prevent children from going to school, leaving them condemned to a life of poverty. This sad refrain often repeats from generation to generation, as there is little hope of breaking the vicious cycle without access to education. Conversely, the opportunity to go to school lessens the likelihood of participation in child labor and enhances the child's chances of escaping poverty.

Recognizing the linkage between education and poverty, some governments have established programs to provide parents with incentives, in the form of cash or free food rations, to send their children to school. IFPRI has conducted extensive evaluations of education intervention programs, especially in Latin America. For example, it evaluated the Mexican government's Programa de Educaci ón, Salud, y Alimentaci ón (PROGRESA), which provides cash transfers to ruralfamilies if their children attend school. IFPRI found that PROGRESA greatly increased school attendance by both girls and boys and drove down rates of child labor in agriculture.

IFPRI also worked with the government of Bangladesh to design and then evaluate that country's Food for Education program, which provides food for poor families whose children attend school regularly. IFPRI found that the program increased school participation rates by 20-30% and contributed to students' remaining in school up to almost a year and half longer than they might otherwise have done. A new brief by the CGIAR Science Council's Standing Panel on Impact Assessment highlights IFPRI's contribution to the success that the program achieved in improving the lives of children in Bangladesh.

"Incentives play an important role in bringing children to school and can significantly reduce child labor in agriculture," said Akhter Ahmed, IFPRI senior research fellow and leader of the institute's research on the Food for Education program.

The World Day Against Child Labor in Agriculture is only the beginning of the CGIAR's work to foster awareness and help eradicate child labor in agriculture. In keeping with its mandate, the CGIAR will incorporate issues surrounding child labor in agriculture within its research priorities and coordinate work across Centers.

Additional information about IFPRI's role, on behalf of the CGIAR, in the June 2007 World Day Against Child Labor in Agriculture is available here. The CGIAR Science Council's brief on IFPRI's evaluation of Bangladesh's Food for Schooling program is available here.