2.3.1 Volume of production per labour unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size

## Definition

SDG indicator 2.3.1 is computed as a ratio of annual output to the number of working days in one year.

FAO proposes to define small-scale food producers as producers who:

* operate an amount of land falling in the first two quintiles (the bottom 40 percent) of the cumulative distribution of land size at national level (measured in hectares)
* obtain an annual economic revenue from agricultural activities falling in the first two quintiles (the bottom 40 percent) of the cumulative distribution of economic revenues from agricultural activities per production unit at national level (measured in Purchasing Power Parity Dollars) not exceeding 34,387 Purchasing Power Parity Dollars.

## Rice Impacts

There exists a high correlation between rice and poverty. About 900 million of the world's poor produce or consume rice, with 400 million engaged in its production. Ninety percent of rice is produced and consumed in Asia.  There is an extremely large population of smallholder farmers around the world, with an estimated 144 million smallholder rice farmers.

Agricultural labour productivity is growing at a much slower rate compared to non-agricultural labour productivity in low-middle income countries. Increased labour productivity is a condition for sustained income growth, especially by increasing yields with smarter practices that involve efficient input use.

Rice as a crop is a time and resource sink for smallholder farmers who do not have access to high-tech farming equipment and are unsure of the best practices in rice farming to minimize risk and maximize output.  There is a need to help farmers avoid the dangerous parts of rice farming by introducing smallholder farmers to safety guidelines to reduce exposure to chemicals, etc. This is so farmers can maintain their productivity with minimal downtime when they follow safety guidelines.  Enabling farming families in low-middle income countries to raise productivity is essential to boost farming income and reduce rural poverty. Rice as it is a poverty trap for smallholders as their time and resources cannot be put into more diverse activities.

## Overlaps with the SRP Instruments

The SRP aims to improve farmers' situation by encouraging improved practices in farm management, input usage, and health and safety. The SRP Standard and Performance Indicators aim to guide farmer progress in achieving better efficiency and increasing productivity. The production per day of labour and days labour per land area are tracked by season.

* SRP Standard for Sustainable Rice Cultivation
	+ 1: Crop calendar
	+ 2: Record keeping
	+ 3: Training
	+ 9: Pure seed quality
	+ 10: Water management
	+ 15: Nutrient management (organic, inorganic)
	+ 18: Integrated pest management
	+ 26: Safety Instructions
	+ 27: Tools and equipment
	+ 29: Personal protective equipment
	+ 30: Washing and changing
	+ 31: Applicator restrictions
	+ 32: Re-entry time
	+ 33: Pesticide and chemical storage
	+ 34: Pesticide disposal
	+ 36: Hazardous work
* SRP Performance Indicators
	+ 2: Labour Productivity
	+ 3: Productivity: grain yield
	+ 5: Water use efficiency
	+ 6: Nutrient-use efficiency: N
	+ 7: Nutrient-use efficiency: P
	+ 8: Pesticide use efficiency
	+ 10: Worker health & safety

## References

1. ↑ SDG Metadata 2.3.1
2. ↑ CGIAR Research Programme on Rice - Reduced Poverty
3. ↑ Rice Monitoring & Modeling at IRRI : Bringing geospatial & social science communities together for better Agri-food Policy to combat food insecurity and poverty Jean Balié International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines
4. ↑ Rice Facts
5. ↑ The labour productivity gap between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors and poverty in Asia
6. ↑  To What Extent Do Improved Practices Increase Productivity of Small-Scale Rice Cultivation in A Rain-fed Area? : Evidence from Tanzania
7. ↑  Increasing paddy yields and improving farm management: results from participatory experiments with good agricultural practices (GAP) in Tanzania
8. ↑  Rice Agronomy: Towards Improving Productivity and Sustaining Soil Health
9. ↑  Improving the water productivity of paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation through water saving irrigation treatments
10. ↑ - Labour requirements for paddy harvesting and threshing methods
11. ↑  Effects of an injury and illness prevention program on occupational safety behaviors among rice farmers in Nakhon Nayok province, Thailand