ROME, June 5 (UPI) -- The United Nations says more government investment in agriculture and correct farm policies will help keep rural populations on the land and reduce migration.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization also said Monday such investment and policies would alleviate poverty and ease pressure on urban centers by cutting pollution, crime and other social ills.
These and other conclusions come from a major FAO research program aimed at analyzing roles played by agriculture in the societies and economies of developing countries and were made known as Europe and North America come under increased pressure from illegal migrant flows, the Rome-based agency said.
"Properly managed, agriculture can not only produce food but also have a positive impact in such areas as poverty alleviation, food security, population distribution, and the environment," according to the Japanese-funded Roles of Agriculture program, which was launched in 2000 and targeted 11 countries.
Addressing the problem of rural-to-urban migration, the FAO study said in the past 50 years some 800 million people have moved from the countryside to the cities. Large numbers have also migrated across borders from south to north and from east to west.
The rural exodus looks like it will be gaining momentum as rapid economic growth in India, China and parts of Latin America draws growing numbers of country dwellers into urban centers.
Rural dwellers currently represent over half -- 60 percent -- of the population of developing countries. That share is expected to drop to 44 percent by 2030 as millions more head for the cities, according to the report. The continuing exodus is clearly bound to have profound social, economic and environmental repercussions.
