The GFPR has been
published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), which is
an international agricultural research center, based in Washington, DC, USA
that focuses on the development of agricultural and food
policies to fuel innovations in agricultural technology.
Rural Revitalization: Challenges
- 45.3
percent of the world's population live in rural areas
- This
rural population accounts for 70 percent of the world's poorest and most
impoverished
- Current
global poverty rate in rural areas is 17 percent, compared to 7 percent in
urban areas
- Rural
population have a higher prevalence of child stunting and underweight
children
- Challenges
such as deforestation, soil degradation, and pollution hamper rural
production, sustainability and well-being
- Rural
areas are deprived of infrastructure, services and economic opportunities
- Multiple
crises are currently ongoing in rural areas across the globe. A few
examples are given below:
- Environmental
crisis in China
- Severe
agrarian crisis in India
- Acute
unemployment crisis in Africa
Rural Revitalization: Prospects
The very essence
of rural revitalization objectives is crystallized in the first two SDGs, which
call for action to
end poverty and hunger
by 2030:
- SDG 1:
"End poverty in all its forms everywhere"
- SDG 2:
"End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote
sustainable agriculture"
In order to
achieve these SDGs and bring about rural revitalization,
the report
emphasizes on the following five pivotal aspects:
- Rural
Employment: Transformation and revitalization of rural areas across the
globe can be achieved through the creation of rural employment opportunities, both farm-based as
well as non-farm-based. This will ensure better livelihoods for the rural
folk
- Women's
Empowerment: Empowering women can enable them to attain financial
stability, promote maternal and child health, improve agricultural
productivity, as well as increase their capacity to contribute to rural
development
- Environment:
Rural environmental degradation can be addressed by providing financial
incentives for activities such as watershed protection, water harvesting,
conservation of scarce resources, and implementation
of innovative farming practices
- Rural
Energy: Improving access to clean energy sources is crucial for reducing rural
poverty and promoting health. For example, fossil fuels used for cooking seriously damages women's
health. It
should be noted that ensuring access to electricity for all by 2030 is an
achievable and realistic goal
- Rural
Governance: Good governance is a prerequisite for effective implementation
and enforcement of policies. Rural governance can be strengthened through
appropriate laws and regulations to increase transparency and
accountability by both government servants and politicians so that they
are more responsive to the needs of the poor
Concluding Remarks
From the foregoing
discussion, it is evident that rural revitalization is an achievable goal,
which requires multisectoral participation and cooperation between various
stakeholders. These concerted efforts are likely to transform rural areas into
vibrant and healthy places to live and work.
"Revitalizing rural areas can stimulate
economic growth and begin to address the crises in developing countries, and
also tackle challenges holding back the achievement of the SDGs and climate
goals by 2030," says Dr. Shenggen Fan, PhD, Director General,
IFPRI. He adds:
"Rural revitalization is
timely, achievable, and, most important, critical to ending hunger and malnutrition in just over a decade."
Fan concludes,
"With perseverance, 2019 can become the year
when the will to eliminate hunger and malnutrition finally gathers momentum,
forging a bright future for poor people around the world." Reference : - 2019 Global Food Policy Report - (http://ebrary.ifpri.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15738coll2/id/133129)
Source: Medindia
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