Today more people live in cities than ever before, but we still depend on rural areas for our food. In the developing world, up to 80 per cent of food is produced on small farms that are usually family run. Yet it's also true that 70 per cent of the world's poorest people live in rural areas, where the lack of opportunity is forcing many young rural people to leave their homes in search of work in overcrowded cities or abroad. Supporting rural development pays dividends, not just for rural people but for everyone. Investment in agriculture is five times more effective in reducing poverty than investment in any other sector.  It helps sustain rural communities and transform them into places where a new generation of farmers, fishers and small business owners want to live. Rural development can also address the unequal access to resources that holds back women, who make up almost half of the developing world's farmers.