MDG 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education

Today’s primary school pupils will become tomorrow’s productive citizens. Yet over 113 million children worldwide never attend primary school. India alone accounts for a quarter of the children left behind, with nearly 30 million children out of school, most of them in rural areas.

Agricultural growth makes a direct and tangible contribution to achieving universal primary education. As rural incomes rise, more farmers send their children to school because they can better manage without their children’s labor for weeding fields, tending livestock, and attending other farm and household chores. Moreover, eating well helps children learn well. Increased income brings a concomitant improvement in nutrition, leading to improved cognitive abilities in children.