Off-farm employment refers to the participation of individuals from agricultural households in employment activities outside their own agricultural production operations. These activities include non-agricultural employment and agricultural-related work conducted beyond the household’s own farm, such as wage employment, self-employment, and other forms of labor engagement outside the farm household production system [1]. It represents a livelihood diversification strategy in which household labor is allocated between farming and external employment opportunities according to income prospects, labor availability, production conditions, and market environments [2]. Unlike on-farm employment, which involves labor inputs directly devoted to household agricultural production, off-farm employment reflects the movement of household labor into external labor markets while maintaining links with agricultural activities through household resource allocation decisions [3]. Within agricultural development and management research, off-farm employment is closely associated with rural labor transformation, farm household behavior, agricultural investment decisions, and changes in the organization of agricultural production systems [4].
Agricultural Development and Management • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences • Agricultural and Biological Sciences • Life Sciences