In line with World Food Day’s 2017 migration theme, Claudia Sadoff calls for investments addressing “food (and water) insecurity and social fragility in rural areas,” on an op-ed on Euractiv.
Underlining key measures needed to make such investments effective, Sadoff draws attention to recent research on the communities from which migrants depart, conducted by IWMI through the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE).
Mass migration has become a major political challenge in Europe and elsewhere. While the media documents the perilous journeys that migrants undertake, the hardships and hopes of the rural areas from which many come receive less attention, meaning the root causes of migration persist, says Claudia Sadoff.
People migrate for many reasons. Many are ‘pushed’ by conflict, danger or disaster. Others are ‘pulled’ by the hope of opportunities for more stable and prosperous livelihoods. At the heart of the migration challenge is the need to diminish the hardships that propel unplanned migration and to foster more stable and prosperous livelihoods at home.
Food (and water) insecurity and social fragility in rural areas are both causes and consequences of unplanned migration. Failing to address them can potentially trigger a downward spiral that puts even more people on the move.
Read more on Euractiv:
The hidden truth about migration: A looming farm crisis back home