A further 106 million people will have joined the rural labour force in the developing world by 2015. What work will they find and where? Can enough jobs be created in rural areas, or must more people migrate to cities?
The critical problem for rural employment is that much labour leads only to poverty-level wages. Policymakers must recognise that industrial forms of farming, such as horticulture, may create some new jobs. However, the main contribution to rural employment will have to come from higher productivity and better returns to self-employed farmers and those operating small rural businesses.
