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Agriculture and Rural to Urban Migration |
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The lecturer, Mr Jacques Vercueil, Senior Project Adviser and former Director of the Agriculture and Economic Development Analysis Division in FAO, showed that the role of agriculture in human well-being is not merely to produce certain commodities or provide food security but also to contribute to conservation of natural resources, environmental stability, rural-urban population balance, social cohesion, and preservation of cultural heritage. An analysis of rural outmigration in a cross-country perspective was conducted, stressing that the phenomenon is not only a spatial movement, as it has a strong socioeconomic dimension, which involves transformation of skills , attitudes, motivations, and behavioral patterns. The forum aimed at contributing to a better understanding of the rural-urban migration issue in Syria and to the development of appropriate policies. |
A
policy forum was held on 12 December 2004. It investigated the role of
agriculture in rural-urban balance and emphasized the vital impact of agriculture on population distribution
between rural and urban areas, considering the level of
agriculture development as a key factor determining the rate of rural outmigration to urban areas.