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| by TakingITGlobal, |
Apr 2, 2004 |
Bill Seiders has been working as Senior Office, Rural Youth Development in the Sustainable Development Department of FAO for the past 10 years. He began youth development work in 1968 as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, South America. He has a doctorate degree from Louisiana State University in the United Stated in the area of Extension Education. Before joining FAO, he worked for around 20 years in extension and youth development in the United States, Thailand and Pakistan. TIG is extremely pleased to have his participation in this month's issue of Panorama. Read what he has to say about Rural Youth:
[TIG] Much attention has been given to the "brain drain" from rural areas to high-paying jobs in the city, especially among young people. The population of cities are burgeoning as the average age in rural communities climbs higher and higher. Youth employment levels are soaring, often two to three times the national average. In what specific ways can technology stem this exodus of young people by providing meaningful, competitive job opportunities in rural areas?
[Seiders] I wouldn’t necessarily use the term “brain drain” when considering the impact of young people leaving rural areas for the cities, but it definitely represents a significant loss of critically important human resources. Farming populations are ageing. In many developing countries, especially in Sub-Sahara Africa, sickness and death caused by HIV/AIDS, are devastating the middle age groups - those most active in agricultural production. Young people, leaving the countryside in great numbers, create a dangerous vacuum, threatening the very existence of rural communities and contributing significantly to increases in national food insecurity and hunger.
Not only the hope of “high-paying” jobs in the cities encourage young people to leave rural areas, because in most cases, the ones who leave have few or no skills, or little experience and can only expect the most menial of jobs. It is also the expectation of a better life and perhaps even adventure that “pull” youth from the rural areas. The “push” factors include poverty; limited or no opportunities for education and training; lack of social, sport and recreation activities; and limited work opportunities that could provide a satisfying and economically rewarding life in rural areas.
Another concern that could be considered as a “push” factor is the negative attitude that so many rural youth have concerning rural life in general, and specifically, agriculture as an employment possibility. The experience that young people often have is that farm work is menial, which is neither satisfying nor remunerative. Most work involves hard labour in the fields, often under exploitative conditions, with low pay, little job security and limited prospects of advancement. Labour in rural areas becomes even more difficult under conditions of hunger and poverty. As needed, youth are forced to work to help sustain the family farm or as day-laborers. This usually involves long days under very harsh working conditions.
The answer to the question is to use technology to reduce the influence of the pull factors and overcome the problems associated with the push factors. A key is the access to relevant technology through information, training and education to increase knowledge and skills to improve the quality of life in rural areas and to enhance the potential for finding meaningful and economically rewarding employment. In addition to causing severe social, economic, political and environmental problems in urban areas, food security is severely compromised by so many, often the brightest and most capable, rural youth leaving the countryside.
[TIG] Many people respond to the "rural crisis" by saying, who cares? It's beauty of choice allows young people to move to cities and all the opportunities it offers. It's the natural progression from agrarian to industrial and information-based societies. How would you respond to this? Why is the cause of rural communities worth fighting for?
[Seiders] Unfortunately, all too often young people in developing countries leave rural areas for the cities not by choice, but because they are desperate and see no future for themselves in the village where they come from. It is true that the global trends are towards a more urbanized society. It appears that by the year 2005, for the first time ever, there will be slightly more people living in urban and peri-urban areas around the world than in the countryside.
Even considering the above, especially in developing countries, for many years to come, a large percentage of the population must continue to be actively involved in agricultural production to provide for the basic food needs of their growing populations. National development planners and decision makers must keep this in mind and provide, accordingly, strategies and policies to try to improve the quality of life in rural areas and provide the necessary economic incentives to encourage young people to consider rural life and farming as a viable life choice for themselves and their families.
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