In Sarvan Village, in India's Ratlam district, more than 50 cotton farmers gathered on a sweltering May afternoon to learn how to survive their own work. The International Labour Organization (ILO) had organized a field demonstration on heat stress management and safe farming practices—practical knowledge that, in a region where temperatures soar to dangerous levels, could mean the difference between a sustainable livelihood and a trip to the hospital.
Cotton farming in Madhya Pradesh has always been grueling work. But as climate change intensifies extreme weather, the risks have become urgent. Small and marginal farmers face a relentless combination of hazards: prolonged exposure to hazardous agrochemicals, biological dust from cotton and other crops, and the physical strain of repetitive bending and heavy lifting under intense heat. Women workers bear a particular burden, as they are often assigned the most labour-intensive tasks—cotton picking, for instance—performed in the harshest conditions. For many, the dangers extend beyond the field. Rami Bai, a training participant, explained the compounding pressures: "Women in our community are responsible not only for farm labour but also for household chores, including fetching water. During extreme heat, water availability becomes very low while household demand increases, making women's work even harder."
The ILO's Rise for Impact initiative, implemented in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), is working to change this reality. The programme addresses these occupational risks head-on through occupational safety and health (OSH) workshops and field demonstrations across Madhya Pradesh's cotton-growing communities. At the Sarvan Village session and others like it, farmers learned concrete, immediately applicable practices: how to adapt their working hours during peak heat, how to use oral rehydration solutions (ORS) to prevent dehydration, how to monitor wind direction when spraying pesticides, how to maintain safe postures when lifting heavy loads, and how to recognize warning signs that demand medical attention.
Yet safety training alone cannot solve what these communities face. The workshops have revealed deeper structural vulnerabilities. Many cotton-farming communities lack adequate access to safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, washing areas, resting spaces, and safe transport. Most farmers operate outside labour legislation and social protection systems entirely, leaving them exposed and without recourse. The absence of organized farmer associations compounds the problem—without collective organization, communities struggle to engage in meaningful dialogue about workplace safety and welfare.
"Occupational safety and health is critical for ensuring sustainable livelihoods in agriculture, especially as climate change intensifies extreme weather events," said Yogindra, OSH Specialist at the ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team for South Asia and Country Office for India. "These demonstrations help the cotton farming communities adopt practical measures that can prevent injuries, illnesses and heat-related health risks."
The ILO's approach extends beyond one-off training sessions. Field-level trainers, trained under the project, are now running ongoing awareness programmes directly in villages through camps and mobile van outreach units across selected districts in Madhya Pradesh. By promoting core labour standards and Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW) among cotton-growing communities, the initiative contributes to the UN 2030 Agenda's broader vision of decent work and sustainable development. For farmers in Madhya Pradesh, it represents something more immediate: a pathway toward safer, more dignified work in an increasingly hostile climate.