Leen Almukaddem*(1) Shaza Mayhoob(1) Safaa Ahmad(1) and Faten Edrees(2)
(1). Tartous Research Center, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Damascus, Syria.
(2). Administration of Socio-Economics Research, (GCSAR), Damascus, Syria.
(*Corresponding author: Eng. Leen Almukaddem. E-Mail: leeno1411@yahoo.com).
Received: 01/09/2018 Accepted: 15/10/2018
Abstract
The problem of labor scarcity is considered as a major obstacle in the agriculture sector, so this research aimed to study labor shortage, its causes and possible solutions. The study was conducted based on a random sample of 200 farmers distributed in 7 villages in Banias and Akkar Plain areas in Tartous governorate. The study showed that labor scarcity has affected the productivity of crops in almost all studied samples of farmers. The difference in the productivity of tomato crop was 4.8% and it for eggplant it was 6.7%, while the productivity of potato and peanut did not influence. The main reasons for labor scarcity were the high income provided by other non-agricultural businesses such as trade and local free jobs compared to agricultural work, seasonal agricultural work and the internal and external migration of young men. The study also showed that most farmers did not have agricultural machines that could save labor, because of the high cost of using machinery, small ownerships and lack of experience of using these machines. The study suggested that the agricultural extension should be directed toward encouraging farmers to use technologies, improving the level of living for the agricultural workers, by raising wages and establishing updated database including all the information about the agricultural workers, their wages and skills that could help in clarifying the situation of agricultural labor in Syria.
Key words: Human labor, Machinery, Agricultural production, Labor scarcity, Tartous governorates.
Full paper in Arabic: PDF