FAO and BIC Brussels to co-host series on migration and agriculture

FAO and BIC Brussels to co-host series on migration and agriculture

Brussels—4 January 2021

Exploring which factors contribute to sustainable rural livelihoods is key to minimizing “the adverse drivers and structural factors that compel people to leave their country of origin”, as noted in Objective 2 of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. As a result, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Baha’i International Community (BIC) in Brussels have prepared a series of online discussions on the nexus between migration and rural development. Each meeting will focus on various dimensions related to migration and rural development, touching on rural-urban linkages, the importance of a mindshift in young people towards farming, the role of education, seasonal agricultural migration, local rural knowledge generation and the transformation of agri-food systems.

The series follows a meeting titled “Africa–EU partnership in addressing drivers of migration” hosted by FAO and the BIC on 16 July 2020.

“One significant driver of migration is the lack of a viable future and economic deprivation linked to the agricultural sector” said Rachel Bayani, a Representative of the BIC in Brussels. “For movement to become a choice, rather than a necessity, it is crucial to understand how policies impact the agricultural sector in countries of origin, whether positively or negatively, and how long-term strategies can be developed with the well-being of all humanity in mind.”

The first event of the series will take place in February 2021 and will look at the patterns, composition and volume of rural migration, both domestic and international, and its links with rural transformation.