Rural development and urbanisation are often seen as competing, but in most cases are intimately linked. It is essential that policies re? ect and support the many positive links between rural and urban areas, enterprises and people. This in turn requires a better understanding of urbanisation processes and the role of small towns.
Migration is a huge phenomenon. The share of migrants in industrial countries’ populations doubled over the past three decades, and remittances ? ows to developing countries are larger than foreign investment or overseas aid.
The sheer number of refugees from Zimbabwe puts a heavy burden on the province of Limpopo in South Africa. These new arrivals strain the already weak structure of the local labour market. The result is frustration and bitterness for local people.
Surveys over several years in the Kagera region of Tanzania have shown that migration has a positive impact on people's living standards, even for those who remain in agriculture.
In today’s China, about 220 million rural migrant workers are on the move – this is more than two thirds of the US population – and their number is set to increase in the course of the country’s urbanisation process.
Labour migration, primarily to Côte d’Ivoire, masked the high rate of natural population growth in Burkina Faso for many years. However, since a political crisis began in this neighbouring country in late 1999, many Burkinabe have returned home. This posed major challenges, especially for rural areas.
The debate about the e? ects of migration is still centred on economic aspects. However, the return of migrants also changes the society and cultures of their country of origin. These changes are particularly pronounced where women have emigrated and return to their communities after several years’ absence.
More and more young people are leaving the rural areas and migrating to the cities. Although the industrial and the developing nations come from different starting points, such migration ultimately has the same effect on village life and the rural areas everywhere. In the industrial nations the agricultural population is ageing.
Burkina Faso is already using all its possible farmland. In future the only way to feed the rapidly growing population will be by increasing yields on existing land. Building stone contour lines enables rainwater to be better used and slows erosion.
The years of war have led to a rapid decline in the nutritional status of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. To cover their protein requirements, the rural population in the Kivu region in the east of the country have turned to raising guinea pigs. For many families these rodents are nowadays not just a vital element of their food security, but also an essential source of income.
L'article retrace la genèse de la crise alimentaire mondiale qui a atteint son paroxysme avec l'envolée dramatique des prix alimentaires mondiaux en 2007/2008 et les émeutes de la faim qui s'ensuivirent.
Depuis quelques décennies, le développement rural est considéré comme le parent pauvre de la coopération au développement. L’article qui suit explique les raisons de
ce comportement et décrit de quelle manière il est possible d’exploiter le renouveau d’intérêt actuel pour les régions rurales.