Unraveling the complexity of work organization in rice farming systems in Ghana

Abstract In sub-Saharan Africa, where the agricultural sector remains a major source of employment, it is crucial to understand how the intensification of production reshapes labor demand, task distribution, and gender roles. This paper adopts an original farming system approach to examine work organization at the farm level rather than the commonly used task level. This study analyzes how agricultural intensification practices, specifically mechanization, irrigation, and herbicide use, affect work organization in rice farming systems in Ghana. The research was conducted in five districts in Ghana spanning the Volta and Greater Accra regions, and included both irrigated and rain-fed rice systems. Forty farms were selected for an in-depth analysis of work organization using the QuaeWork method, which documents annual work duration and the distribution of tasks among different categories of workers (family, permanent, temporary, contractors), with attention to gender. Descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses were used to develop a typology that combines variables related to farming systems and work organization. The results show variation in work organization across different farms. Seasonal work dominates labor demand, with rice cultivation accounting for most of the working time. While mechanization reduces labor demand per hectare, it increases reliance on temporary workers and service providers. Irrigation raises overall labor demand due to multiple production cycles, and herbicide use reduces labor demand while increasing the use of male hired workers. Three work organization strategies were identified: (1) medium-scale rain-fed farms combining family and hired labor with low intensification; (2) small-scale irrigated and mechanized farms relying mainly on family labor and service providers; and (3) larger farms heavily dependent on temporary hired labor. We demonstrate that these strategies differ in terms of worker distribution and gender involvement, with intensified and larger farms showing a lower participation of women. The study concludes that rice intensification fundamentally reshapes work organization and is not gender neutral. It highlights the need for systemic assessments of agricultural innovation that consider interactions between tasks, technologies, workforce composition, and gendered labor dynamics across the entire farming calendar.