In the framework of Farmers’ Day which was held this weekend and commemorates the recognition of cultural traditions and work by the agricultural sector, entities such as the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane), released the balances, strategies and current conditions of the peasants of the country.
(They seek to guarantee credits to small farmers in the countryside).
According to the Dane Great Integrated Household Survey, currently in the country in the first quarter of the year, there were 14.46 million people as part of the rural population over 15 years of age.
Of this total, 13.0% of people reside in capitals, which is equivalent to 5.04 million people. On the other hand, 81.6% of the peasants are located in populated centers and dispersed rural areas, which is equivalent to 9.41 million people. The 18.1% who do not consider themselves peasants, equivalent to 2.08 million people.
(Modernization of agriculture, key axis for the presidential elections).
In the panorama of the labor market indicators, the global rate of peasant participation was 60.2% with a variation of -4.6% with respect to the non-peasant population.
On the other hand, the employment rate was 53.5% with a difference of -2.2% compared to the non-peasant population. Another factor to note was the unemployment rate, which was 11.1% with a difference of 2.9 pp less than that of the non-peasant populationwhich turns out to be 14.0%.
Regarding this trend, Adrián Garlati, director of the economics program at the Javeriana University, assured that: “typically in rural areas, people do keep themselves busier, because field work is carried out throughout the year, especially if the person has a property or works for someone else’s property, while in seasonal jobs there are times when the person is not busy”.
Regarding labor market indicators by sex, specifically in the unemployment rate in the rural population, men present 7.8% unlike women who present 17.9% with a variation of -10.1%.
According to the report, the main activities in which the employed peasant population performed were: agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry and fishing with 44.3%, trade and vehicle repair with 13.0%, and manufacturing industry with 7.0%.
RURAL POVERTY
According to the report on Monetary Poverty and Income Groups in Colombia from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane), the evolution of the population in a situation of monetary poverty places the rural sector, especially, as one of the most affected. According to the figures, for 2019 the rural population in poverty was 5.9 million, compared to 2020 it was 4.7 million. By 2021 the number rose to 4.9 million, indicating that 25.3% of the population living in poverty are part of rural areas.
Regarding the incidence of monetary poverty according to the head of the household, in indicator by sex, in the main areas it was shown that 34.8% of men live in this condition, unlike women who have 41, 8%. On the side of populated centers and scattered rural areas, it was estimated that in the case of men, 43.1% were present, contrary to women, who indicated 48.6%.
According to the Minister of Agriculture, Rodolfo Zea Navarro, “we have worked to provide the best tools and strategies to the farmers.” According to the portfolio manager, Through the ‘Contract Farming’ program, at least 270,000 producers have benefited, by selling their crops to 1,270 business partners for $1.7 billion.
For his part, “exports in 2021 were historic, with sales of more than US$9,418 million, driven by the growth of some products such as bananas, cocoa, Hass avocado, tilapia, and others,” the minister assured.
DIANA K. RODRIGUEZ T.
BRIEFCASE
