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Addressing the Migration Challenge: The Critical Roles of Agriculture and Rural Development

2,514 views · Published 29 June 2017 · 1:01:13 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: UN University · 2017 · Education

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Addressing the Migration Challenge: The Critical Roles of Agriculture and Rural Development”, a Conversation with José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The 2030 Agenda recognises that migrants can make important contributions to sustainable development. However, the current global migration crisis risks detracting from and derailing the many positive aspects of migration. Migrants may move to escape a range of distressing situations, from violence and conflict to poverty, climate change, and food insecurity. For the large number of migrants that move from rural areas, the underlying drivers of distress migration can stem from a lack of investment in agriculture and rural development. Advancing sustainable agriculture not only improves food security, but also creates resilient livelihoods, reduces conflict over natural resources, and addresses environmental degradation. Thus, ensuring agricultural development in rural areas plays an integral part in tackling distress migration and in harnessing the development potential of migration.

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva joins UNU Policy Adviser Rebecca Brubaker for a conversation discussing the nexus between migration, agriculture, and rural development, particularly in light of the current global migration crisis.

About the speaker

José Graziano da Silva was elected Director-General of FAO in 2012, and is now serving in his second term. Prior to his current role, he headed the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean from 2006 to 2011. Before joining FAO, Graziano da Silva served as the Brazilian Special Minister of Food Security and the Fight against Hunger, during which he led the design and implementation of the Zero Hunger (Fome Zero) programme. As an agronomist and academic, he has over 30 years of experience working in the field of food security, rural development, and agriculture issues.

Graziano da Silva holds a BA and MA from the University of São Paulo (Brazil), a doctorate from the State University of Campinas (Brazil), as well as post-doctorate degrees from University College London (United Kingdom) and the University of California, Santa Cruz (United States).

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