Families of migrant workers

Poor rural women and children in the family vegetable garden in Panama
FAO/18120/M. Sistini

In many parts of the developing world, men migrate seasonally in search of work. Households headed by the women who remain behind constitute an important vulnerable group. These women heads of households typically produce the family food, engage in local trading and raise small livestock. The land they farm, however, is often degraded, and the women lack the knowledge and technologies to reclaim it. Also, the money brought back by migrant husbands is often spent on prestige purchases instead of food and other necessities.

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More photos on Vulnerable populations:
  • Rwanda: Farmers queuing for seed in the aftermath of civil war in Rwanda
  • Syria: A shepherd with his flock of sheep searches dry lands for forage in Syria
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