IAWA

International Association on Work in Agriculture

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Welcome to the International Association on Work in Agriculture!

Logo IAWA

The IAWA - International Association on Agricultural Work - brings together the research and development community studying agricultural work around the world, with the aim of crossing disciplinary and thematic entries. The aim is to understand, analyze and compare the realities of work and workers in agriculture and to reflect on the future of work.  

Subscribe to become a member of the International Association on Work in Agriculture.

3rd International Symposium on Work in Agriculture 2026

logoISWA2026

Save the date!! 7th – 10th July 2026

the call for Abstracts is now open until 11 January 2026

Important dates

10 November 2025: Launch call for Abstracts to the Working Groups.
11 January 2026: deadline of call for Abstracts
15 February 2026: Decisions on acceptance

Location:

Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Agricultural, School of Agricultural, Forest & Food Sciences (BFH-HAFL), Zollikofen, Switzerland

Logo IAWA
Agroscope
© Confédération Suiss
Bern University of Applied Sciences
© Bern University
event From 10 Nov. 2025 to 11 Jan. 2026

Zollikofen, Switzerland

Call for Abstracts 3rd International Symposium on Work in Agriculture 2026

Call for Abstracts Addressing current and future challenges of work in agriculture: research, policy and practice for the International Symposium on Work in Agriculture, 7-10 July 2026 Berne, Switzerland
event

04 December 2025

Webinar

IAWA Webinar "Working conditions and mobility of migrants in the agricultural and food sector, in a context of diverse policies"

The International Association on Work in Agriculture (IAWA) proposes a webinar to address this topic on working conditions and mobility of migrant agricultural workers in host countries and the threats implied by current policies on the continuity of farming activities, particularly the labour-intensive ones.

The association strengthens ties with Europe, Africa and Oceania. Welcome to Pierre Girard (Cirad), David Meredith (Teagasc), Ibrahima Diallo (ISRA), Wendy Geza (UKZN), Callum Eastwood (Dairy NZ).

Bergère conduisant un troupeau de brebis.  MEURET Michel,  Médiathèque INRA

19 news, 6 congress, 8 calls for papers and several publications on the theme of work in agriculture, from decent work, emotional work, gender, and farming systems

couverture travail decent en agriculture

This policy brief, published in the French Development Agency's (AFD) Policy Dialogues collection, looks at decent work in agriculture through the prism of family organisation of work and production models in Africa. It follows on from the international conference on the future of work and employment in the agricultural sector in West Africa

In a flash

Journal of Rural Studies
article

07 October 2025

By: Isabelle Avelange

Revisiting the concept of ‘decent work’ for agriculture

This paper follows from the second International Symposium of Work in Agriculture (ISWA), held in 2021, and aims to scrutinise the usefulness of the ILO’s DW concept for research, policy and practice on work in agriculture. The authors do this based on their discussions during and after the ISWA, their expertise in the field and a review of key literature on decent work.
article

17 November 2025

By: Isabelle Avelange

Family farming through the lens of work organization. Illustrations from Africa

This review article, published in "Cahiers Agricultures", outlines work organization patterns in family farms across Africa.
article

03 July 2025

By: Isabelle Avelange

The work of farmers in short food supply chains: Systematic literature review and research agenda

This work, co-authored by Philippine Dupé with Benoît Dedieu, Pierre Gasselin, Guillaume Ollivier, offers a systematic review of the English-language literature on the work of farmers in short food supply chains. it's published in Plos one.
article

07 October 2025

By: Isabelle Avelange

Review: Attracting and retaining a farm workforce for the pork industry

R. Nettle, A. Vikas, P. Lin and M. Santhanam-Martin examine, by the way of a literature review between Years 2000-2025, the factors involved in attracting and retaining the farm workforce for the pork industry.
article

07 October 2025

By: Isabelle Avelange

Thinking of the agroecological transition as a psychosocial transition : Example of livestock farmers in Occitania

The agroecological transition (AET) is not limited to technical and economic transformations. It calls for a paradigm shift that involves looking ahead to new innovative ways of producing and experiencing agriculture. It questions traditional practices and know-how, and involves a farreaching redefinition of agricultural professions and activities.
Journal of Rural Studies
article

06 October 2025

By: Isabelle Avelange

Investigating ‘decent work’ in agriculture

In Journal of Rural Studies (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd), this special issue, edited by members of IAWA, is based on papers presented at the 2nd International Symposium on Work in Agriculture (29 March – 1 April 2021) and explores application of Decent Work (DW), as conceptualised by the International Labour Organisation, to agriculture.
Journal of Rural Studies
article

18 September 2024

By: Isabelle Avelange

Elaborating decent work for agriculture: Job experiences and workforce retention in the Australian orchard industry

This new article, the fruit of the work of some members of the IAWA association, is published in Journal of rural studies. It is a contribution to examine the utiliy of the decent work concept as it relates to the problem of workforce retention. it addresses this using a case study of waged workers' experiences of their jobs in the perennial horticulture (orchard) sector in one region of the Australian state of Victoria, focusing on permanent employees (that is, waged workers engaged in more than seasonal or temporary work)
article

23 May 2023

By: Priscila Malanski

Decent Employment and the Future of Agriculture. How Dominant Narratives Prevent Addressing Structural Issues

Special issue from Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems coordinated by IAWA members
article

23 May 2023

By: Priscila Malanski

Neither Corporate, Nor Family: The Indian “Patronal” Farm

Special issue from Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems coordinated by IAWA members
article

23 May 2023

By: Priscila Malanski

The Multiple Influences on the Future of Work in Agriculture: Global Perspectives

Special issue from Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems coordinated by IAWA members
article

23 May 2023

By: Priscila Malanski

An intensive and collective style of farm work that enables the agroecological transition. A case study of six French farm machinery cooperatives

Special issue from Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems coordinated by IAWA members