FAO.org

Sustainable Development Goal 1, ending poverty in all its forms, everywhere, is the most ambitious goal set by the 2030 Agenda. This Goal includes eradicating extreme poverty in the next 12 years, which will require more focused actions in addition to broad-based interventions. The question is: How can we achieve target 1.1 and overcome the many challenges that lie ahead? By gaining a deeper understanding of poverty, and the characteristics of the extreme rural poor in particular, the right policies can be put in place to reach those most in need. This report presents the contribution that agriculture, food systems [...]

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) make a significant contribution to growth and socio-economic development in countries and regions around the globe. The widespread adoption and integration of ICTs has reduced information and transaction costs, improved service delivery, created new jobs, generated new revenue streams, and helped conserve resources. ICTs have also transformed the way businesses, people and governments work, interact, and communicate.  ICT innovation is also revolutionizing the agriculture and food sectors. In developed economies, innovations such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of things, data analytics and block-chain are changing the way agriculture does business. Remote sensors collect data on soil [...]

This publication explores agricultural investment funds as a vehicle for financing agricultural businesses and projects. It looks at the capital needs of the different agricultural actors along the agricultural value chain and taking into consideration investment funds involving all kinds of investors (private, public as well as joint initiatives) and investment objectives. The publication draws heavily from the FAO 2010 publication “Agricultural Investment Funds for Developing Countries”, which was developed from an FAO-ConCAP research study that identified a broad range of investment funds that target agriculture in developing and transitioning countries. The identified funds were classified according to various criteria such [...]

The new FAO project Rural youth migration, social protection and sustainable value chains in Kenya, funded by the Italian Development Cooperation, aims to boost employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for Kenyan rural youth along selected value chains. The final objective is to provide alternatives to migration, while also strengthening links with existing social protection programmes.

This publication provides an overview of the methodology and best practices developed during the implementation of the Rural Youth Mobility Project (RYM) in Tunisia and Ethiopia, while decsribing the results acheived at country level. The Project was launched in 2015 to address the drivers of rural out-migration of youth - such as poverty, food insecurity and unemployment - while at the same time harnessing the development potential of migratory movements. With funding from the Italian Development Cooperation, RYM strives to shed lights on the drivers and patterns of rural migration and enhance governments’ capacity to better address migration issues in the context [...]

Each year, rural areas lose a promising share of their workforce, as youth leave their homes and migrate to cities or move abroad in search of a better future. FAO, together with the Tunisian Government and the Italian Development Cooperation, supports young Tunisian entrepreneurs in rural areas through the provision of trainings, technical support and equipment.  

After years of steady decline, child labour in agriculture has started to rise again in recent years driven in part by an increase in conflicts and climate-induced disasters. This worrisome trend, not only threatens the wellbeing of millions of children, but also undermines efforts to end global hunger and poverty. FAO Rural Livelihoods Officer Bernd Seiffert elaborates on ways to improve the safety and health of young workers and end child hazardous labour.

Ce bref de huit pages résume les principaux résultats d’un étude réalisé dans le cadre de du projet «Favoriser les investissements productifs afin de créer des emplois agricoles et non-agricoles décents pour les jeunes ruraux dans les zones du Sénégal enclines à la migration». L’étude se base sur des enquêtes menées auprès de 1000 ménages ruraux dans les régions de Matam et Kaolack et a pour but principal de générer des informations sur les caractéristiques, dynamiques et moteurs de la migration se déroulant dans les zones rurales du Sénégal. Cette étude participera à informer les politiques économiques sectorielles, d’emploi des [...]

This two-page infographic highlights the main results of the study "Characteristics, Dynamics, and Drivers of Rural Migration in Senegal" and was carried out in the framework of the project "Fostering productive investments to create decent farm and non-farm jobs for rural youth in migration-prone areas in Senegal”. This infographic provides information on the main facts and statistics of rural migration in Senegal, the drivers of migration and the characteristics of migrants and migrant households

Empowering small-scale fisheries: the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. Short animated video that wants to trigger awareness and discussion about key challenges faced by small-scale fishing communities, despite their critical contribution to nutrition, food security, national economies and poverty alleviation. It introduces ways to address those challenges, as well as the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) as an important tool in this context. It is suggested to use this video to have discussions with various stakeholders on [...]