Rural labor reform in Colombia progress and Challenges for food security.

Abstract

Rural labor in Colombia has historically been characterized by informality and by the lack of recognition of peasants as holders of labor, social, cultural, and territorial rights. Despite their essential role in the country’s food security and economy, more than 80% of the rural workforce works informally, without protection or contractual stability. This article examines the statement of reasons for Bill PL166-2023C through a documentary and analytical approach grounded in existing regulations, case law, and academic literature. The findings reveal a paradigm shift from an exclusively agrarian and productivist perspective toward one centered on the dignity and well-being of those who work the land. Three main pillars were identified: labor formalization, the dignification of rural work, and the regulation of special hiring modalities. The reform represents progress toward the humanization of peasant labor, although it presents significant challenges for its implementation and for food security. The first pillar, corresponding to the formalization of rural employment, proposes a training and skills-certification program (MinTrabajo–SENA), particularly in PDET municipalities, and legally recognizes family, community-based, solidarity-based, and peasant work, granting access to the social security system. The second pillar, aimed at dignifying peasant labor, regulates working hours, rest periods, overtime, and fair remuneration, placing rural workers on equal footing with the urban labor regime. It also incorporates criteria related to job stability, social protection, and objective evaluation of occupational risk. Finally, the third pillar shows that the previous labor framework did not adequately respond to the seasonal nature of agricultural work. Therefore, the reform adopts contract types adjusted to the realities of the countryside (such as harvest, seasonal, or community-based work), which—despite their flexibility—guarantee social security coverage and the legal minimum wage.