Global report analyses rural development and recommends policy changes to eradicate poverty.

 

Hed: Global report on rural development offers targeted policies to eliminate poverty

The world is changing rapidly, across urban and rural areas. Growing demand for food – driven by population increase and rising incomes – is creating opportunities and challenges for people working in rural areas, including in smallholder agriculture and in the non-farm economy.

Rising agricultural productivity, more jobs off the farm and migration to cities are reshaping rural life – but so too are adverse factors such as climate change, environmental degradation and other risks.

Small farms continue to provide livelihoods for up to 2.5 billion people and account for up to 80 per cent of food produced in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In a fast-changing world, rural areas must transform – and rapidly – in order to be sustainably included in growing economies and to contribute to overall prosperity.

On 14 September 2016, the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) launched its flagship publication Rural Development Report 2016: Fostering Inclusive Rural Transformation.

Read the full article: IFAD