Rural Development Academy 2021

Decent and sustainable work in the rural economy is essential to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its overarching objective of leaving no one behind. Rural areas provide livelihoods for millions of women and men in Africa and the majority are engaged in agriculture, which accounts for almost half of employment in the region. At the same time, rural non-farm activities provide employment opportunities for many rural workers and have great potential to create new or improved livelihoods and decent jobs, including in global and regional supply chains. Work in rural areas, however, is often characterized by severe decent work deficits, including governance gaps, informality, underdeveloped production systems and limited access to services, infrastructure and social protection. Some of these deficits have further been exacerbated by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 edition of the Rural Development Academy focused on the African region, and was held virtually using the online learning methods on both self-learning as well as more interactive and participatory methods. This allowed for more in-depth and focused approach to the topics, as well as wider participation of constituents and stakeholders from the region, as well as those interested in promoting decent work in the rural economy in the African region. The Academy was designed for the needs of a variety of participants willing to enhance their knowledge on rural development in Africa, particularly from the point of view of labour-related issues. The two-week programme was built around plenaries and elective courses, in which cutting-edge topics were presented and discussed, facilitated by experts from the ILO and key UN Agencies, as well as by other leading international experts. It provided structured knowledge-sharing opportunities, making use of interactive learning methodologies.