In developing countries, more and more families are moving to cities, seeking to be part of the growing urban economy. Less capable of making this shift, the elderly and people with disabilities are increasingly being left behind in villages. This also means that more and more farms are being left to this group to manage.
Disability perpetuates poverty and poverty amplifies the hardships of disability. 43% of people with disabilities in developing countries live in extreme poverty; conversely 1 in 5 among the poor has a disability. Similarly, more and more people with disabilities are reaching an old age, and people who are getting older often acquire disabilities due to chronic diseases. With a majority of the world’s poor living in villages, these vicious cycles are all the more amplified among rural communities dependent on agriculture.
All this makes for a strong case for agricultural development efforts to pay special attention to people with disabilities and the elderly. A recent position paper by MetaMeta and Enablement analyses this view and proposes three tracks of intervention:
- Promoting inclusion in mainstream agricultural activities
- Attending to special needs through special services/ innovative tools
- Prevention of debilitating diseases
TheWaterChannel’s latest dossier ‘None Left Behind’ draws on the work done by MetaMeta, Enablement and the Fluoride Knowledge and Action Network to bring out stories, videos, documents and resources that detail this issue and showcase solutions emerging from Ethiopia, Egypt, China, Thailand, Bangladesh, India…. and beyond
More info: www.thewaterchannel.tv/noneleftbehind
Produced by: TheWaterChannel
Language: English
Region: Global
Year: 2015