Agriculture employs 1.3 billion people throughout the world. Changes to working conditions in agriculture are investigated by several disciplines that explore different themes. These themes are summarized here through two areas: one that focuses on the worker (employment, health and skills) and the other on work as a component of farming systems. The analytical frameworks and core research issues are described. This paper is designed to be a general introduction to the special issue of Cahiers Agricultures, entitled “Multifacet realities of work in agriculture”.