Clear worldwide trends
Fifty-six percent of the world's population currently lives in urban areas, and projections are clear: the trend towards urbanization will increase in the future to reach ⅔ of the population living in cities by 2050.
This trend is directly linked to the major economic transformations taking place in many developing countries. The industrialization of cities is attracting people from rural areas to better-paid jobs in urban areas. In search of opportunities and more career options, young people are leaving the family farm. They are often attracted by easier access to services, or sometimes by the emancipation that the city offers. Africa, Asia, Latin America... the phenomenon exists in cities all over the world.
A somewhat deliberate but necessary exodus
income is unstable, seasonal or unpredictable for the majority of small-scale farmers around the world, it is often the farming families themselves who send one of their young family members to urban areas to earn a more reliable living wage. This person acts as a form of family insurance, guaranteeing a cash income in the event of crop failure in the countryside.
The result? As some young people leave for the cities, the age composition of rural areas changes. An aging population, fewer people of working age, a lack of young farmers and, above all, a reduction in the social dynamism of the regions... the economic vitality of the countryside is greatly affected.
A trend that's here to stay?
As recent years have shown, unpredictable events can rapidly affect trends. For the time being, however, the effects of this rural exodus are undeniable. Although it's difficult to predict the precise impact this population migration will have on our global agricultural system, understanding this trend can help us to better understand the global challenges we'll face in the future.
Source : Economics of Agriculture 4th Edition. 2021. Norton, Alwang and Masters.