Opportunities from Migration  

- Change the future of migration.

Invest in food security & rural development -   October 16.

FAO celebrates “World Wood Day” each year on 16 October to commemorate the founding of the Organization in 1945. Events are organized in over 150 countries across the world, making it one of the most celebrated days of the UN calendar. These events promote awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and the need to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all.    “World Food Day". World Food Day is a chance to show our commitment to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 and achieving the Zero Hunger goal by 2030. It is also a day to highlight FAO's role in leading global efforts to achieve Zero Hunger since the Organization first established its mission in 1945, to free humanity from hunger and malnutrition. Zero Hunger is a prerequisite for the achievement of a large number of the SDGs.   World Food Day 2017 marks the 72nd anniversary of the Organization's founding, and the 37th observance of World Food Day.  

KEY MESSAGES  

1. Working towards the goal: Humanitarian and development actions that address both immediate needs and provide durable solutions are crucial to addressing the migration challenge. Large movements of people today are presenting complex challenges, which call for global action. By working towards Zero Hunger-Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2- we can tackle many of the issues that cause people to migrate and generate social and economic progress and environmental sustainability.  

2. Migration is not the only viable option: We need to address both forced displacement due to increased conflicts, political instability and natural disasters, but also the root causes of vast movements of people due to hunger, poverty, environmental degradation and the effects of climate change. Economies evolve and the movement of people in search of better employment opportunities – within and across countries - is inevitable. But people should have the choice to migrate and not feel it is the only viable option.  

3. Investing in rural development: We need to invest more in rural development in developing countries through innovative policies that create business opportunities and jobs for young people that are not only agriculture-based. Rural development can create conditions whereby people, especially youth, do not feel obliged to abandon their lands. It can lead to better access to social protection, efficient management of resources and more productive and sustainable food systems.  

4. Sustainable agriculture development We need to build the resilience of people affected by increased extreme weather events in developing countries by finding better ways to adapt to climate change. Addressing food security in climate sensitive areas and sustainable agricultural development are central to building resilient livelihoods and responding to the migration challenge. This involves helping rural communities to get back on their feet after temporary displacement caused by climate shocks.  

5. Inclusion of migrants and all people We can reach the Sustainable Development Goals only with the inclusion of all people, including migrants. Safe, orderly and regular migration can contribute to economic growth and improve food security and rural people’s lives, thus advancing countries’ progress in reaching the SDGs. Migrants can build the economy in their countries of origin through remittances and investments, or by bringing new skills to their community, if they decide to go back. They can also contribute to the development of host communities by filling labour shortages, bringing different skill sets and knowledge, and having a positive impact on demographic trends.    

KEY FACTS AND FIGURES  

·         In 2015, there were 244 million international migrants, representing an increase of 40% since 2000. They included 150 million migrant workers.

·         Internal migration is an even larger phenomenon, with 763 million internal migrants according to 2013 estimates. Internal and international migration are often interconnected.

·         About one-third of all international migrants are aged 15–34. Women account for almost half of all international migrants.

·         A large share of migrants originate from rural areas. Around 40% of international remittances are sent to rural areas, reflecting the rural origins of a large share of migrants.

·         In 2015, $441 billion in remittances was sent by migrants to developing countries, nearly three times the amount of official development assistance. Families benefit from sending a member to work abroad, however, costs associated with sending remittances need to be reduced.

·         In 2015, 65.3 million people around the world were forcibly displaced by conflict and persecution, including over 21 million refugees, 3 million asylum-seekers and over 40 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). A quarter of global refugees reside in only three countries (Turkey, Pakistan and Lebanon).

·         In 2015, more than 19 million people were internally displaced because of natural disasters.

      April 2017   A strong dust storm swept through a large territory including Orkhon, Shaamar, Mandal soums, Selenge aimag. Many house roofs were pulled off, fences taken down, and far worse, one man lost his life under the debris of greenhouse steel frames. The damages from the natural disaster left families in financial ruin. The wife of Mr.Ts, despite her college degree, is a stay-at-home mother, caring for her two young children for the past few years. The family made the ends meet with meat and dairy products from the few animals they kept in the countryside. But life could not carry on like this for them and therefore, they took a loan in the amount of MNT 20 million to grow potatoes and vegetables in a larger plot. They bought potato seeds and planted various other vegetables. They bought the necessary tools and equipment, and hired two workers. Life was getting busy…..  

However, their plot was swept away by the last year’s strong storm on 18-19 April. The natural disaster took it all - not a single hectare survived as it was. The bank did not recognize Mr.Ts’ business failure as a case of force de majeure. Now the family of Mr.Ts has migrated to the city, and are settling in his brother’s plot. He hopes, life will get better for his family…..  

Also, the mining industry continues to break the peaceful and serene life of Mongolians with its unrivalled force. Countless number of issues emerge in the lives of rural communities due to mining exploration and extraction activities. Having no other options, herders who have been displaced out of their winter and summer camps are abandoning their native lands. They have resorted to leave the land they have tended, the rivers and springs they drank from and the mountains they have worshipped for generations. The displacement is not only affecting the herders and livestock – many biodiversity species including wildlife, birds and even insects are being displaced. As the environment and ecosystems deteriorate, it is inevitable that the indigenous communities impoverish too.  

Driven by countless issues like these in Mongolia, the city of Ulaanbaatar is hit by the endless wave of inbound migration. Some studies estimate the migrants at 30,000 per year. In the last five years alone, the number of plots in the ger districts grew by 36,000, the households by 70,000, doubling the number of residents. In fact, migration-led resource scarcity has been recognized as the most pressing issue.  

Let’s turn the lens away from Mongolia to the globe. The world now has more migrants than it had during the World War II, driven by political instability and conflicts. In addition to conflicts, hunger and poverty serve as driving factors as the extreme natural phenomena due to climate change are growing in frequency and number. For these reasons, the world must urgently pay attention to migration. There is increasing resource scarcity in emerging economies as they receive thousands of inbound migrants. However, 763 million people migrated domestically in their home countries, which surpass the number of migrants that moved across countries.    

Then, what are the ways to solve the numerous pressing issues including resource scarcity caused by migration? Studies indicate that one third of the extreme poor rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. Therefore, the FAO views that creating conditions for rural people, in particular youth, to live safe lives in their own homeland, and improving their resilience are a pivotal part of any plan to tackle the migration challenge. Also, the rural development does not encompass only the cropping sector. This is to say that it should not be limited by dairy SMEs or poultry production, food or vegetable production. It views that creating business opportunities and jobs for the young people is an important step to reduce migration.      

Rural development leads to improved food security and resilience. This results in wider access to social protection and reduced conflicts over natural resources. Furthermore, it can enable us to better adapt to climate change and tackle environmental degradation. The FAO also appeals that the international organizations, through their investment in rural growth, can harness the migrants’ potential to support development, thus laying down the foundation for long-term recovery and sustainable growth.   

Migration is a part of the economic transformation process. The main challenge is to address the structural drivers of large movements of people to make migration safe and orderly. Tackling the drivers will allow migration to contribute to economic growth and improve food security and rural livelihoods, thereby helping meet the SDGs.   Based on its partnership with governments, UN agencies, the private sector, civil society and local communities, the FAO is mapping evidence-based migration patterns and is strengthening countries’ capacities through rural development policies. Moreover, the Organization supports governments and partners to identify the development opportunities presented by migration, especially in food security and poverty reduction. In fact, one can realize that the aforementioned challenges, opportunities and solutions are well captured in the the FAO’s theme for this year’s World Food Day- change the future of migration, invest in food security and rural development.  

Zooming back to Mongolia, in the summer of 2015, there was a large drought covering one third of the country. Thin and undernourished, the livestock faced the winter of 2016. The statistics indicate that dzud struck 70% of Mongolian territory. Due to extreme drop in temperature, heavy snowfall and snow storms, the livestock loss reached 360,000 on March10, 2017, a ten-fold increase from 10,000 in January of that year. Experts warned that more livestock would die over the spring due to hunger and fatigue, and the livestock loss would reach 1.2 million.   

At this critical time, the FAO together with other UN specialized agencies carried out targeted aid interventions including cash, animal fodder and animal health kits. This emergency aid benefitted 10,000 vulnerable herder households spread over 136 soums in 18 aimags and 54 public animal breeding centers. This was a landmark intervention where 1.1 million livestock were saved from preventable death and herders retained their livelihoods.  

Dzud is a phenomenon that only occurs in Mongolia with a certain frequency. As a matter of fact, dzud is defined as an event where animals are at risk of dying in large numbers due to fatigue, caused by lack of water and pasture degradation in extreme winter, preceded by dry summer, with temperature drop of minus 40-50 degrees and snowfall thickness of 10-350cm. In fact, we must learn to predict droughts and prevent damages instead of responding to dzud after it happens. In order to do so, the modern times asks us to join forces under integrated policies and plan with a common goal.