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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will vary for different groups of rural population, with the highest impact expected to be on farmers and other vulnerable groups, especially women and youth. Targeted support is feasible only by activating a network of actors or organizations within agricultural innovation systems (AIS) and promoting customized technologies and practices suitable for location specific contexts. This brief illustrates the extensive repository of good practices and technologies provided by FAO as part of its online knowledge portals. These practices and technologies can be easily adopted to respond to the needs of the smallholders, rural youth and [...]

A comparison of the Great Lockdown of 2020 underway with the Great Recession of 2009, reveals some regularities, yet many differences. Notably, the shock associated with the Great Recession arose out of economy-wide stress, particularly high-income countries, while in direct contrast, the Great Lockdown was borne outside of the global economic system, and seemingly is set to leave most countries severely affected, high and low-income countries alike. Both crises, however, have led to similar impacts to economies throughout the world, with significant contractions to economic growth, economic activity and employment. For global food and agriculture, the Great Recession unfolded as a [...]

Measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 include strong restrictions of movement which dramatically change daily lives and impact agricultural livelihoods. These measures are particularly difficult for the rural poorest and most vulnerable, who tend to hold jobs and occupations which cannot be performed remotely. Many of the world’s poor depend on public spaces and movement for their livelihoods, including seasonal agricultural work and traveling to markets to sell or buy produce and/or inputs, etc. This briefs explains how social protection measures could shield the rural poor from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, while providing a series of social protection [...]

The policy brief reviews the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrants working in agri-food systems and their families in rural areas of origin. It points out some of the policy implications and presents key policy recommendations. Measures affecting the movement of people (internally and internationally) and resulting labour shortages, will have an impact on agricultural value chains, affecting food availability and market prices globally. At the same time, large shares of migrants work under informal or casual arrangements, which leave them unprotected, vulnerable to exploitation, poverty and food insecurity, and often without access to healthcare, social protection and the measures [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic is a major economic and labour market shock, presenting significant impacts in terms of unemployment and underemployment for informal workers. In rural areas, the livelihoods of especially the self-employed and wage workers are at risk, because agri-food supply chains and markets are being disrupted due to lockdowns and restrictions of movement. Families might resort to negative coping strategies such as distress sale of assets, taking out loans from informal moneylenders, or child labour. Specific groups of workers, including women, youth, children, indigenous people, and migrant workers, who are overrepresented in the informal economy, will experience further exacerbation [...]

The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current state of financial inclusion of the rural youth in Uganda, with a specific focus on their engagement in the agricultural sector and the financial services that are available to them to pursue their business ventures in this area. The study seeks to illustrate and bring to light the core constraints and opportunities associated with the provision of tailored financial services to young agricultural entrepreneurs in the country, while showcasing the essential role that key support actors (such as the Government, Central Bank, international development institutions, NGOs, foundations [...]

Cette analyse du contexte donne un aperçu du Sénégal, décrivant les défis, les politiques et les programmes d’emploi des jeunes en place ainsi que les priorités de la FAO en matière d’emploi décent pour les jeunes des zones rurales. Enfin, il analyse également les tendances et dynamiques migratoires du pays. Près de 88% des 1,2 milliard de jeunes du monde vivent dans des pays en développement. À l'échelle mondiale, les jeunes représentent environ 24% des travailleurs pauvres. Bien que la population mondiale de jeunes est censée augmenter, les possibilités d’emploi et d’entreprenariat pour les jeunes femmes et hommes restent limitées - [...]

This paper looks at the main characteristics of rural transformation and the current lives of young rural women in East and Southern Africa, and identifies the key actions necessary to ensure that they have equal opportunities to participate in, and benefit from, the process of rural transformation.

In the race to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and attain the aspirations of the Agenda 2063 and the 2025 Malabo Goals of the African Union, young men and women are the key drivers in our combined efforts to reach the finish line on time. The 2014 AU Malabo Summit reconfirmed that agricultural transformation should remain high on the development agenda of the continent, emphasizing its instrumentality for an inclusive growth. The youth play important roles in promoting economic growth and shared prosperity in their communities and countries. Their energy, resourcefulness and optimism are powerful catalysts for them to be important [...]

Without rapid progress in reducing and eliminating hunger and malnutrition by 2030, the full range of Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved. We can advance faster if we work together. In its quest to achieve a Zero Hunger world, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) works in partnership with communities, governments, and organizations across Africa to address malnutrition, boost the productivity and resilience of small-scale farmers, share knowledge about innovative farming practices, and build sustainable food systems. FAO’s bold approach focuses on empowering women and employing youth, providing them with the skills and resources (land, capital, emerging technology) they need [...]