Globalisation
...the major production
sector in the less developed world containing the
vast majority of humanity globally. Global inequalities
in work therefore impact very
substantially, directly or indirectly, on this sector.
The literature on globalisation including its
principal drivers is reviewed, examining positive
and negative effects. This provides a backdrop to
understanding the impact of globalisation on
occupational health in the agricultural sector in
less developed countries.
A review of the scientific literature in Medline
produced a small yield of articles principally in the
area of studies of specific risk factors within agriculture
and their impacts on the health of workers.
There is, however, a substantial body of literature
produced by international agencies such as the
United Nations Development Program, the International
Labour Organization and the World Health
Organization. To date, aspects of globalisation,
occupational health and the agricultural sector have
not been systematically drawn together in one text,
and this review aims to build on the existing literature
to contribute to this goal. This article which
focuses on understanding the process of
globalisation is the first in a series of three articles.
The second1 deals with the impact of globalisation
on occupational health in the agricultural sector,
while the third2 examines the impact for southern
Africa.
There are many components to the definition of
globalisation. According to the International Labour
Organization3, the 1999 Human Development Report4
of the United Nations Development
Programme, and the World Health Organization
Occupational Health Programme (Communication
with Dr G. Goldstein, Occupational and Environmental
Health, World Health Organization, Geneva,
2001), globalisation refers to the process of increasing
economic,...
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