Rural women as agents of change in migration
Six out of ten international migrants reside in Asia and Europe, and a large share of them are from rural areas. Often, when these migrants settle into urban areas and find work, they send money back home to the families they’ve left behind.
© FAO / Sergei Gapon
The connections among migration, agriculture and the situation of rural women, inspected from the sustainable development narrative, are the topic of FAO’s main event during the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in Geneva. The forum, happening 1-2 March, is organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
The panel discussion provides an opportunity to identify ideas and proven practices for creating better conditions and more resilient livelihoods in rural areas in the context of the sustainable development agenda.
Rural out-migration is often driven by poverty and unemployment. “Agriculture and rural development can address the main drivers of migration, such as rural poverty, food security, inequality, lack of employment opportunities or social protection, as well as depletion of natural resources,” said Vladimir Rakhmanin FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia in his opening remarks. “All of them have a disproportionate impact on women.”