Tunisia: Women in the agriculture sector experience “ subhuman” working conditions, deadly road accidents, and shockingly low wages, while commodity buyers keep pushing for low prices
While the working conditions of women in the agriculture sector are known for being difficult, threats on the lowering of prices due to COVID further put women farmers at risk of vulnerability.
A recent survey released by the Local Democracy Agency, in Kairouan - the centre of Tunisia- on a sample 900 women farmers across the country has revealed that the low pay is behind the systemic exploitation and exclusion of women farmers. The survey has estimated the average pay of women farmers in Tunisia at 10 dnt -15 DNT ( 3- 5 euros and that men are less likely to be found performing hazardous farming work while usually receiving a higher salary. The survey also revealed that ⅔ of Tunisia women farmers do not have access to any form of social protection.
Conversely, local reporting outlet El Meshkal suggests that buyers are offering much lower prices because they say demand has collapsed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The article explains that export-focused agricultural sector and the lack of protective policies threaten to leave farmers with wages that do not even make up for their own food.