Youth mobility, food security and rural poverty reduction

Youth are highly mobile and represent the main share of migrants moving worldwide. Across Africa, the majority of young migrants originate from rural areas. This is not surprising given that the vast majority of the region's poor and food secure live in those areas, most dependent on agriculture. Moreover, rural young women and men are increasingly migrating due to poor opportunities for themselves to make a living in agriculture. Finding gainful employment in agricultural sectors is hampered by low productivity, poor access to markets and lack of dynamism between farm and non-farm activities. Young people often lack access to land, credit, and inputs to start their own farms. If left unabated at its root causes, distress migration from Africa should be expected to increase dramatically. Innovative solutions are needed to make a tangible difference in addressing root causes of distress economic migration. Promoting viable employment opportunities for youth in farm and non-farm rural activities will have to be at the centre of any such solutions.

Read more at FAO