ROME, ITALY — Africa needs its young people to modernize their agriculture sectors, which are key to achieving growth and prosperity, said José Graziano da Silva, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), during the Italy-Africa Ministerial Conference in Rome, Italy.

Migration to urban areas and abroad are pulling away young people from the agriculture industry.

"It is crucial that African countries also look at rural areas for agro-industrialization that can provide more opportunities for young people to find employment and remain in small villages and rural areas," Graziano da Silva said, pointing to a recent FAO report showing that those who migrate from rural to urban areas are five times more likely to move abroad.

The conference includes foreign affairs ministers and other officials from more than 45 African Countries, as well as representatives from the African Union, other international organizations, and the private sector.

Graziano da Silva held bilateral meetings with foreign affairs ministers from Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Somalia and Sudan and was also expected to meet their counterparts from Mozambique, Cabo Verde and South Sudan.

During a panel discussion at the Conference, he noted that economic growth in many African countries has slowed down in recent years and that the impacts of climate extremes have intensified, while conflicts continue to cause social disruption in some areas.

He stressed that in this context, it is important for countries to define joint strategies and implement common actions, such as the recently approved African Continental Free Trade Area. In particular, agro-industrialization can contribute to addressing Africa's historical dependency on food imports, Graziano da Silva said.

Paving the way for agro-industrialization requires providing small villages with basic services, such as education, health, electricity, and internet access, which, Graziano da Silva noted, is "one of the main attractions for youth nowadays".

"Small villages should be the place where farmers buy seeds, send their children to school, and turn to medical care and other services when necessary. In Africa, it is very important to revitalize small villages through small agro-industries and cooperatives of family farmers," he said.

More investment in infrastructure is also important to connect producers, processors and other segments of the food value chains. This includes roads, transportation, storage capacity, energy, as well as water management. These measures are key to creating job opportunities not only in agriculture production, but especially in various non-farm activities, such as services provision in general and rural tourism, Graziano da Silva said.