Rural areas are home to the vast majority of the planet’s land, water and other natural resources. Since much of our food is produced in rural areas, they play a key role in ensuring food security, especially in view of the increasing food demands that come with a growing world population.

At the same time, many other diverse economic activities take place in rural areas – these range from agri-processing to tourism and manufacturing. Through digital connectivity, new opportunities can flourish there.

Rural areas also have an important contribution to make to the transition to environmentally sustainable economies and societies. With the green transformation, new and decent jobs can thrive in sectors such as clean energy and environmental protection.

Inequalities between rural and urban areas are increasing

If inequalities are left unaddressed, there is the risk that a significant share of the rural population will be left behind. This can fuel discontent and destabilize societies.

Moreover, in certain countries rural workers face governance gaps, informality, underdeveloped production systems and limited access to services, infrastructure and social protection. In addition, given their reliance on natural resources, many rural livelihoods are directly exposed to the impacts of climate change.

All these challenges perpetuate a widespread misbelief that “rural” equates with backwardness and isolation.

Links:

https://webapps.ilo.org/infostories/en-GB/Stories/Employment/rural-economies#potential