A New Target for International Social Reform: The International Labour Organization and Working and Living Conditions in Agriculture in the Inter-War Years

The economic, political and social imperative of reforming working conditions in agriculture, improving rural living standards and promoting rural development emerged as an international issue in the inter-war years. Despite a growing interest in the history of international organisations, historical research has hitherto made little reference to co-operative efforts and standard-setting in agriculture before the Second World War. This article seeks to fill the gap by examining the process whereby the International Labour Organization (ILO) learned about the specificities of the agricultural sector. It illustrates the ILO's early interest in rural workers and agricultural issues, which it addressed through special committees. Hampered by the challenging diversity of agricultural work and the perceived lack of national organisations and legislation, it was not until the late 1930s that the ILO carried out proper surveys on social issues in agriculture. Set up in the late 1930s, the history of the ILO's Permanent Agricultural Committees illustrates the results of a learning process which eventually positioned the ILO as a focal point of technical expertise, and enabled it to embrace an ever widening and interdisciplinary vision of agricultural labour and labour relations.