Migration
Approximately 80 percent of all migratory movements involve rural areas, either as place of origin or of destination. Over 1.3 billion people living in developing countries have migrated within their own country. Numbers are rapidly increasing, as the deterioration of rural livelihoods, accelerated by climate change, is leading millions of people to migrate, especially within countries.
Rural populations are among the most vulnerable to both extreme weather events and gradual environmental changes, as their livelihoods depend on natural resources. As people move, rural areas may suffer from the loss of the workforce, with risks for people who stay behind, especially women and children. Food security is also compromised. In destination areas, migrant workers play an essential role in agrifood systems, from production to distribution, but are often employed under precarious and risky conditions. Waves of reverse migration to rural areas, like the one triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, showed the struggle that rural communities face in reintegrating migrants returning home.
However, migration can also be an engine of economic growth and innovation, and it can greatly contribute to more inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems. Globally, an estimated 50 percent of remittances are sent to rural areas. When migrants and diaspora (migrants and their descendants who live abroad and still maintain close ties to their country of origin) are provided with adequate support, they can contribute financial resources, skills and knowledge to food security, employment, and climate change adaptation.
The role of FAO
FAO is committed to making migration a choice and an opportunity for rural populations, and to maximizing its benefits. The Organization does so through an integrated approach that builds on four priorities for action:
- Managing climate mobility. FAO helps rural people build climate-resilient livelihoods and restore ecosystems, thereby reducing the pressure to migrate. FAO also helps migrants and diaspora contribute to inclusive climate action and harness migration as a climate adaptation strategy.
- Creating alternatives to migration and reintegrating migrants in rural areas. FAO helps rural communities access decent jobs, adopt climate-smart agricultural practices, and kick start farm and off-farm businesses to increase resilience to climate change, reduce the need to migrate out of necessity, and sustainably reintegrate back home.
- Boosting the contribution of diaspora to agribusiness. FAO helps migrants and diaspora contribute resources and skills to rural areas through diaspora–youth matching, mentorship, coaching and investments. FAO also empowers diaspora to contribute to sustainable agribusiness and inclusive climate action by strengthening their voice and networks.
- Protecting migrants working in agrifood systems. FAO advocates for improving working and living conditions for migrants to realize their right to food and decent work, and promotes safe and regular labour mobility for migrants working in agrifood systems, including seasonal and temporary workers.
Related projects
Featured publications
FAO's work on rural migration
30/10/2023
Poverty and food insecurity are on the rise and the world is facing an unprecedented global food crisis. The deterioration of rural livelihoods, accelerated by climate change, is leading millions of people to migrate, especially within their own countries. Rural populations are among the most vulnerable to both extreme weather events and gradual environmental changes as their livelihoods depend on natural resources. Waves of reverse migration, like the one triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, showed the struggle rural communities also face in reintegrating migrants returning home. At the same time, migration can be an engine of economic growth and innovation, and it can greatly contribute to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems. FAO strives to make migration a choice and an opportunity for rural populations, and to maximize its benefits. This brochure presents FAO's work on rural migration, along with each priority for action. It provides a description of what FAO does, with whom and why, presenting tangible results and stories from the field.
Toolkit for the sustainable reintegration of return migrants in rural areas
18/04/2023
In 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an increase in the number of migrants returning to their countries of origin. A significant proportion of these returnees moved back to rural areas. In this context, assisting returnees in the process of reintegration has become a key priority for stakeholders, both in terms of immediate and medium- to long-term support. This toolkit aims to support local stakeholders and actors in agrifood systems to integrate rural returnees into programmes and other initiatives to develop the agrifood sector. It provides resources to design and implement programmes and projects to facilitate the reintegration of returnees in rural areas. The ultimate objective is to coordinate these reintegration efforts with larger rural development and rural transformation efforts and stimulate mutually reinforcing outcomes that support the achievement of sustainable livelihoods and well-being for local populations. The publication also includes a variety of tools to guide stakeholders during all phases of the programme cycle in the designing and implementing interventions that align with the recommendations given in the forthcoming publication, Global lessons learned on sustainable reintegration in rural areas study report, which was commissioned by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and produced by Samuel Hall.
Global lessons learned on sustainable reintegration in rural areas
10/02/2023
In the context of a global pandemic, many migrants returned to their rural areas of origin, both from cities within their own countries and from abroad. While return migration can be an opportunity, this presented considerable challenges for many migrants and government stakeholders without adequate knowledge, policy and mechanisms in place to support sustainable rural reintegration. In the past, greater attention has been paid to reintegration in cities. This report takes a step in addressing that gap, assessing lessons learned and best practices in supporting sustainable reintegration specifically in rural areas. The aim of the global lessons learned report is to provide a roadmap for collective action in support of returnees in rural areas and rural communities across a range of development settings. At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact mobility, and with an eye to future disruptions that the world may face, there is an opportunity to support rural environments as spaces of protection and inclusion for returnees.
Videos
Migration
Mayram's story: Succeeding back at home in Senegal
09/10/2023
Mayram followed her husband to Côte d'Ivoire, but she found adjusting to life there too difficult and decided to return home, in Senegal. She is one...
News
Migration
FAO at the Global Forum on Remittances, Investments and Development (GFRID)
30/06/2023
FAO reaffirmed its commitment to mobilize diaspora contributions to rural development through the participation in the Global Forum on Remittances,...