Contracts of employment are generally precarious in daily and casual work. Labour is mostly unskilled. The application of basic labour laws is tenuous and labour inspection services are usually weak in most countries. There is widespread recourse to labour contractors who supply labour to a principal employer. Wages in agriculture are typically among the lowest in any given country.
Wages are often barely sufficient to meet the basic nutritional requirements of a family.
Labour surplus and low levels of organization among workers keep wages down. Occupational safety and health is a major concern in agriculture, ranked in some countries among the three most hazardous occupations. Rates of fatal injuries in agriculture are above the all-industry level in many countries. Rates of fatal injuries of one in 10,000 agricultural workers per year are common. Farm machinery, implements and agro-chemicals are among the main causes of injury.