مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - A Study on Living Conditions of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers: Hilvan County (ġanlıurfa) Sample

Abstract :

This study is carried out to identify living standards of seasonal agricultural workers in Hilvan County of Şanlıurfa that largely rely on agriculture and have sufficient or little cultivable lands. Study sample is composed of families of the students who attend schools affiliated to Hilvan County Directorate of National Education and are involved in temporary migration before the school term ends in a year. “Face to face” interviews were held with and questionnaires were applied to heads of 523 families which live on seasonal agricultural labor. The results were assessed by using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) through various statistical techniques required for the study purpose. Majority of the children of families who spend most of the time as seasonal laborers in the other regions every year cannot start school on time and attend until the end year. The vehicles that seasonal laborers take to the working areas pose threat since they are not secure enough. Obvious difficulties faced by laborers in those working places can be listed as nutrition, unsanitary conditions and low pay. Poor accommodation circumstances also bring about health-related problems. It was found out that most of the interviewees hold green card (health card for uninsured people in Turkey) only as a means of health insurance.