Towards Greener and More Inclusive Societies in Southeast Asia
Over 100 million workers in Southeast Asia have jobs that are directly or closely linked to the environment, making them vulnerable to climate change impacts. These same workers likely earn at least 20% lower than the national average and are largely in informal employment. The region’s necessary transition towards greener growth could affect them in several ways: some sectors will create jobs and others will lose jobs or disappear altogether. Understanding the effects of both climate change and green growth policies on jobs and people is thus essential for making the transition in Southeast Asia an inclusive one. The study explores these issues, with emphasis on the potential effects on labour of an energy transition in Indonesia, and of a transition in the region’s agricultural sector, illustrated by a simulated conversion from conventional to organic rice farming.
The green transition in agriculture: Labour implications of a conversion to organic rice
Southeast Asia is one of the world’s major exporters of agricultural products. Agriculture is the major source of livelihoods for millions of people in the region. However, the sector faces challenges from unsustainable agricultural practices and increasing climate change-induced natural disasters. A transition to sustainable agriculture is urgently needed in order to curb soil degradation, deforestation and biodiversity loss. This chapter presents the findings from a simulation exercise that looks at the effects on employment and income of a transition from conventional to organic rice farming in Southeast Asia.