Rural crisis could derail global development goals: UN report

Deepening rural crises across the world is slowing down progress in hunger and poverty reduction, achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and could even become a prime reason responsible for missing the global climate targets, a recent report of the United Nations held.

The annual report titled Global Food Policy Report, 2019 is prepared by global experts of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), which primarily assesses level of malnutrition and food availability across the world during an ongoing year. The report, considered an important advisory, is consulted by policymakers in most countries. 

This year's report said South Asia, which comprised of some of the fastest growing economies in a year marked by global slowdown, also faced the economic impact of rural crisis. In India, home to 70 per cent of South Asia region's rural dwellers, too, remained largely impacted by the rural crisis.

"India is continuously facing the challenge of climate change, risks on land degradation, deterioration of soil quality and loss of biodiversity has potentially slowed the rural transformation," said the Global Food Policy report. "These are in a manner reversing what is being achieved from the several interventions made by the government to improve quality of lives in rural India," said Pramod K. Joshi, senior adviser, IFPRI, who is also one of the authors of the report.

In recent times, the government had hiked the minimum support prices (MSP) of 22 agricultural produce and taken initiatives to clear dues of sugarcane growers, which were left pending by mills for more than two years. 

The Modi government has invested in social protection programmes with the broad objective of bringing structural transformation through revitalisation of rural economy. “India has unveiled several measures to boost rural economy and improve rural livelihoods by enhancing access to basic services, increasing investments in agriculture and rural infrastructure,” said Shahidur Rashid, Director for South Asia, IFPRI. 

The government has made significant commitments to improve health and nutrition by investing in newer initiatives such as the Healthy India Initiative to provide health centres and health coverage to the most vulnerable; and the National Nutrition Mission targeting nutritional status of infant, children and mothers, Rashid noted.

“Revitalising rural areas can stimulate economic growth and begin to address the crises in developing countries, and also tackle challenges holding back achievement of the SDGs and climate goals by 2030,” said Shenggen Fan, director general, IFPRI, while launching the report. “Rural revitalisation is timely, achievable, and, most important, critical to ending hunger and malnutrition in just over a decade,” he said.

Recounting the various rural development centric initiatives of the Indian government, the UN report said in 2019, the prospects for rural development are encouraging. "A general election is scheduled for early 2019 in India, with potential to increase attention to rural areas where the majority of voters live," it said. 

Policy decisions in India have significant spillover effects on policy developments in other countries of the region. "Across South Asia, inclusive employment growth, continued agricultural productivity growth, and strengthening of the agriculture-based rural non-farm economy will be essential to ensure inclusive rural transformation," the Global Food Policy report advised. 

However, it warned that the South Asia region remains poorly integrated and is not taking advantage of its cultural affinities, common geography, or the advantages of proximity. "In addition, escalating trade tensions and tighter global liquidity may constrain the prospects for South Asia in 2019," Rashid said.