ISLAMABAD: Around half of the youth population in the developing countries — 500 million — are at the risk of falling below the poverty line if the countries fail to implement effective policies and invest in the future of these individuals, says the ‘2019 Rural Development Report’.

The youth mostly live in rural areas and they are prone to poverty and inequality and are held back by a series of constraints, including lack of training and skills, limited access to land and credit, scarce availability of inputs and restricted links to social networks, says the report published by Rome-based UN agency, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

But policy-makers need to act quickly to avert bigger crises, warns the report, pointing to the impacts of climate change on agriculture generally, the need to seize opportunities presented by a digital revolution spreading across the developing world, balanced with the growing aspirations and demands of young people themselves.

This number rises to 780 million when semi-rural and peri-urban areas are also included.

The situation is of particular concern in sub-Saharan Africa, where rural youth population is set to climb from 105m to 174m by 2050 — a 70 per cent increase in countries that often lack the means to deal with the challenges ahead, warns the report.

The challenges for rural youth in the least transformed countries are extremely daunting, yet these nations account for only about 20pc of the developing world’s rural youth population.

Globally, about 20pc of the developing world’s rural youth live in its most transformed countries, another 20pc in the least transformed, and the rest in countries with mixed levels of transformation.

Overall, 72pc of the developing world’s rural youth live in countries with low levels of rural transformation. Young people have a tough time escaping poverty by engaging in farming activities in these countries; most will earn a better living by transitioning into other sectors.

The remaining 28pc of rural youth reside in countries that have achieved relatively high levels of rural transformation and offer more attractive opportunities in farming.

The smallest group, with 10pc of the developing-country rural youth population, is composed of countries where farming can yield relatively attractive returns but where there are limited off-farm opportunities.

Today, around 65pc of the world’s rural youth lives in Asia and the Pacific, and 20pc in Africa but Africa’s share is projected to rise to 37pc by 2050, while Asia and the Pacific’s will fall to 50pc, according to the report.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2019