Rural poverty

The status of rural poverty in the Near East and North Africa
Authors: I. Christensen; B. Veillerette; S. Andricopulos; Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Publisher: International Fund for Agricultural Development, 2007

Poverty in the Near East and North Africa region (NENA) is mainly a rural phenomenon. Almost half (48 percent) of the area's population live in rural areas. This report focuses on key rural poverty issues in 13 diverse countries in the region, Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Yemen, without attempting to propose policy or programme actions at national or local levels.

Overall, the rural poor still face traditional constraints such as water scarcity, inadequate rural infrastructure, inappropriate policies and institutions, weak local-level organisations and gender inequity. They are also affected by new trends in migration, globalisation, changing trade patterns and increasing unemployment amongst young men and women. (Thanks Muna)

Available online at: http://www.eldis.org/go/topics/resource-guides/health&id=39430&type=Document