Speakers

Dr Racha   Ramadan
Assistant Professor, FEPS- Cairo University

Biography:

Racha Ramadan is an assistant professor in Economics Department at the Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences (FEPS), Cairo University where She did her undergraduate studies. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from Toulouse School of Economics, France. Her research interest includes applied micro-econometrics on poverty, inequality, food security, gender issues and human development in Egypt and other Developing Countries. She worked as an economic consultant for different international organizations such as IFPRI, UNDP-Regional Office in Cairo, World Bank, UN-ESCWA, UN-FAO and IFAD. She was a visiting scholar at Hamburg University in Germany in October 2012, at Chicago University Center in Paris from April 2013 to June 2013 and at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Minnesota University during the Spring semester of 2014.

Structural and Rural Transformation for Food Security and Poverty Reduction

Structural transformation means the shift of an economy’s structure from low-productivity activities that are intense in labour, i.e. agricultural activities, to high productivity activities that are intensive in capital and skills, i.e. industrial activities. However, the decrease of the agriculture sector in the overall economy should not mean neglecting the sector and diminishing its importance in the economic development. Research and development and investment in agricultural sector, are highly needed especially with structural transformation and urbanization. As food demand from urban areas increase, rural transformation is needed to ensure food security and to decrease poverty that is highly concentrated in rural areas. Rural transformation means rising agricultural productivity and improving infrastructure and access to services by rural households. Rural transformation means as well diversifying crop production by producing more high value products and invest more in agri-­‐business activities.