Fulfilling the 2030 Agenda depends crucially on progress in rural areas

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In adopting the 2030 Agenda the international community committed itself to eradicating

hunger and poverty.

Fulfilling this agenda is already facing important challenges:

Hunger is on the rise again!

A more densely populated world needs to be fed and employed.

Most of the poor and hungry live in rural areas; more efforts are needed to transform

economies in these areas.

This report identifies opportunities to achieve the progress required in rural areas through

inclusive transformation.

What we learn from successful transformations

Agricultural productivity growth.

Shift of people and resources from agriculture

towards manufacturing, industry and services.

Massive increases in per capita income.

Steep reductions in poverty and hunger.

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Theevolution of rural and urban poor as share of total population

Change is occurring in laggard transformers

Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia witness important changes:

Decreasing proportion of the population employed in agriculture.

People moving into low skilled informal service jobs.

Job creation limited, often not a path out of poverty.

Population still growing compared to other regions that have stabilized.

Another change is urbanization and the changes that come with it.

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Relationship between consumption of staple foods and incomes in developing countries

As incomes increase diets change accordingly

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Opportunity is seen in urbanization and dietary changes

The change in size and composition of food demand as a result of

urbanization is an opportunity for farmers.

Linking small-scale farmers to these growing domestic markets is

fundamental for poverty reduction and making transformations

more inclusive.

The link will not come automatically!

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Land area per capita of rural population, by region, 1970-2050

Urbanization and demography likely to influence farm sizes differently

across countries

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Going forward the link is the food system

Food systems can be transformed in ways that reduce poverty and improve

food and nutrition security

An agro-territorial approach is critical to balance infrastructure development

& policy interventions to transform the system

Particularly relevant in countries with rapid population growth and limited

prospects for industrialization to create jobs on-farm and off-farm.

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Transformation becomes more inclusive

Agro-territorial approach takes into account the importance of small cities and

towns.

Report finds that over half of the global population lives within or around

cities and towns of less than 500,000 people.

Yet, in most developing countries, resources are disproportionately allocated

to larger cities.

Better connecting rural–urban territories is a strategy for creating on-farm and

off-farm jobs, eradicating poverty, and ensuring food and nutrition security.

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There are five commonly used agro-territorial tools.

Structuring interventions based on country needs

Agro-territorial investments with different geographic range under different governance models.

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Conclusions

Economic growth in rural areas has helped millions escape poverty, and will be critical to ending

hunger by 2030.

Urbanization and dietary changes in both rural and urban areas are transforming the food

system – creating opportunities and challenges.

There is a need to ensure that this transformation is smooth and provides an opportunity for the

500 million smallholders around the world.

Stronger links between rural areas and small cities and towns can lead to more dynamic growth

of economic opportunities in rural areas

Report proposes an agro-territorial approach to leverage the changes in food systems as a

key ingredient for attaining SDG1 & SDG2

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