CIHEAM Press Review

ANKARA — Twenty-five-year-old Fatih, a graduate of economics from Istanbul’s Marmara University, remains jobless despite his degree from the respected college and several internships at corporate businesses during his studies. Like hundreds of thousands of other university graduates in Turkey, he is grappling with an uncertain future in a country mired in economic turmoil, which the COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened.

Ettadhamen, a marginalised district on the outskirts of Tunis, wears unrest well. Over the weekend and into this week, violent protests have dominated life in this overlooked and restive place.
The district is not unique. Over the past few days, protests have erupted in working-class neighbourhoods in at least 15 locations across Tunisia, in response to declining living conditions, poverty and endemic unemployment, especially among the country’s young people.

As the coronavirus drastically reorders society and economies, more Italians are returning to the agricultural jobs of their grandparents.

CORCOLLE, Italy — On a small farm outside Rome, workers crouched in the corridors of a cornfield and tended to stalks for the coming harvest. The ones from Morocco, Romania and Nigeria knew exactly what to do. It was the new Italian hires who needed help.

Agriculture sits at the bullseye of many climate related challenges, and a new project in Ghana is set to examine ways to mitigate these, particularly related to gender and migration.
Labor forces have seen major shifts due to increasing urban migration of youth. Gender disparities in land usage as a result of traditional land tenure systems have been pervasive in West Africa and elsewhere. Governments past and present have attempted with minimal success to counter these challenges.
IWMI and other agricultural experts recently examined these issues in the second inception workshop of the Resilience Against Climate Change: Social Transformation Research and Policy Advocacy (REACH-STR) project held in Tamale.

Migration is as old as human existence. It involves movement of people between geographical locations within and between countries. It is part of the dynamic process of change in every society, with youth migration at its apex, and it has always been an important component of rural or structural transformation. As economies undergo a transformation, the movement of people in search of better employment opportunities and livelihoods within and between countries is inevitable.

Youth, Mobility and Employability in the Mediterranean

The Centre for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) and the Mediterranean Growth Initiative (MGI) have embarked on a new strategy to inform decision-makers and investors on critical issues affecting the nations of the Mediterranean and to provide an in-depth understanding of the region and its potential.

In this context, Alma Economics was commissioned by the CMI to collect and analyse a wide range of indicators, and to provide concise analysis of trends and emerging issues.

Farming will not survive another 10 years, according to Paul*, a 40-year-old born into a family of farmers.
This gloomy forecast is rooted in several issues – from a lack of appreciation of local produce to competition from abroad.