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Worker welfare on Kenyan export vegetable farms

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  • Ehlert, Christoph R.
  • Mithöfer, Dagmar
  • Waibel, Hermann

Abstract

The paper analyses farm worker welfare on three different types of farms in Kenya producing vegetables for export. The three types of farms differ by certification to international production standards as well as by size. A multidimensional approach measures welfare using human capital, income, physical and mental health, and life satisfaction. The findings suggest that GlobalGAP certification has a positive impact on worker welfare as farm workers are given more training. Workers on large certified farms earn more than those on small farms but also show more health problems. Certification on small farms is associated with higher satisfaction of workers with their life compared to workers on non-certified small farms. From a development policy perspective this paper does not support a clear cut policy on which types of farm to support as overall benefits of a support strategy will depend of the number of beneficiaries reached through the different farm types.

Suggested Citation

  • Ehlert, Christoph R. & Mithöfer, Dagmar & Waibel, Hermann, 2014. "Worker welfare on Kenyan export vegetable farms," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 66-73.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:46:y:2014:i:c:p:66-73
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2014.01.004
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    Cited by:

    1. Schuster, Monica & Maertens, Miet, 2015. "Worker Empowerment through Labor Standards. Evidence from the Peruvian Horticultural Export Sector," Working Papers 208142, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Centre for Agricultural and Food Economics.
    2. John C. Beghin & Miet Maertens & Johan Swinnen, 2017. "Nontariff Measures and Standards in Trade and Global Value Chains," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: John Christopher Beghin (ed.), Nontariff Measures and International Trade, chapter 2, pages 13-38, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    3. Gansemans, A. & D'Haese, M., 2018. "Flying under the radar: The impact of plantation workers job insecurity on perceived labour agency," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277742, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Schuster, Monica & Maertens, Miet, 2015. "The Impact of Private Food Standards on Developing Countries’ Export Performance: An Analysis of Asparagus Firms in Peru," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 208-221.
    5. Schuster, Monica & Vranken, Liesbet & Maertens, Miet, 2017. "You can(’t) always get the job you want: stated versus revealed employment preferences in the Peruvian agro-industry," IOB Working Papers 2017.04, Universiteit Antwerpen, Institute of Development Policy (IOB).
    6. Jaime De Pablo Valenciano & Juan Milán-García & Juan Uribe-Toril & María Angustias Guerrero-Villalba, 2021. "Rural Development from a Gender Perspective: The Case of Women Farmers in Southern Spain," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-13, January.
    7. Nabeshima, Kaoru & Michida, Etsuyo & Vu, Hoang Nam & Suzuki, Aya, 2015. "Emergence of Asian GAPs and its relationship to global G.A.P," IDE Discussion Papers 507, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    8. Goedele Van den Broeck & Kaat Van Hoyweghen & Miet Maertens, 2016. "Employment Conditions in the Senegalese Horticultural Export Industry: A Worker Perspective," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 34(2), pages 301-319, March.
    9. Krumbiegel, Katharina & Maertens, Miet & Wollni, Meike, 2017. "The role of Fairtrade certification for wages and job satisfaction of plantation workers. Revised version," GlobalFood Discussion Papers 258582, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, GlobalFood, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.
    10. VAN DEN BROECK, Goedele & MAERTENS, Miet, 2016. "Horticultural exports and food security in developing countries," Working Papers 232595, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Centre for Agricultural and Food Economics.
    11. Oya, Carlos & Schaefer, Florian & Skalidou, Dafni, 2018. "The effectiveness of agricultural certification in developing countries: A systematic review," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 282-312.
    12. Schuster, Monica & Maertens, Miet, 2014. "Do labor standards benefit workers in horticultural export chains in Peru?," Working Papers 191037, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Centre for Agricultural and Food Economics.
    13. Krumbiegel, Katharina & Maertens, Miet & Wollni, Meike, 2018. "The Role of Fairtrade Certification for Wages and Job Satisfaction of Plantation Workers," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 195-212.
    14. Fabry, Anna & Van den Broeck, Goedele & Maertens, Miet, 2022. "Decent work in global food value chains: Evidence from Senegal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    15. Neda Trifkovic, 2015. "Spillover effects of international standards: Work conditions in Vietnamese small and medium enterprises," WIDER Working Paper Series 047, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    16. Neda Trifković, 2015. "Spillover Effects of International Standards: Work Conditions in Vietnamese Small and Medium Enterprises," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2015-047, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    17. John C. Beghin & Miet Maertens & Johan Swinnen, 2017. "Nontariff Measures and Standards in Trade and Global Value Chains," World Scientific Book Chapters,in: Nontariff Measures and International Trade, chapter 2, pages 13-38 World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    18. Trifković, Neda, 2017. "Spillover Effects of International Standards: Working Conditions in the Vietnamese SMEs," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 79-101.

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