Effects of rural-urban youth migration on farm families in Benue state, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was assessed to determine the effects of rural-urban youth migration on farm families in Benue state, Nigeria during November 2014 to June 2015. Interview schedule was used to collect data from a sample of 80 respondents. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean scores and standard deviation. Results indicate that majority (76.3%) of the respondents were males, middle aged and married. Major causes of ruralurban youth migration indicated by the respondents include inadequate employment opportunities in rural areas (M=3.6), search for better education (M=3.5), inadequate social infrastructure such as schools (M=3.4), poor medical care services in rural areas (M=3.4), looking for money through labour (M=3.4), apprenticeship programme (M=3.2), etc. Findings of the study also indicate that reduction of agricultural labour force (M=3.5), low agricultural productivity (M=3.3), high cost of labour (M= 3.3), reduction on demand for locally grown foods (M=2.9), decrease in dependency ratio in the rural areas (M=2.7), reduction on number of mouths to feed (M=2.7), among others were major effects of ruralurban youth migration among farm families. The study recommends that Nigerian government should provide adequate physical and social infrastructure in rural areas in order to encourage youths to remain in agriculture, reduce rural-urban youth migration as well as sustain agriculture for enhanced food security.

Effects of Demographic Factors on Population Dynamics in Imo State, Nigeria; Implications for Farm Labor Availability and Supply

“…The 66.7% of the married group implied that they are likely to have some dependents who may likely support their farming activities (farm labor supply) and vis a vis less likely to migrate. This also calls for diversification of economic activities in order to meet family obligations [15]. x Linear, Semi-log, Cobb-Douglas and Exponential functional forms were employed to determine significant factors affecting the population dynamics in the area.…”

“…This means that as farmers advance in age the eagerness to migrate to cities/towns in search of better opportunities diminishes as they prefer to stay back home and engage in any meaningful economic activities for survival and in return providing the needed farm labor supply and availability without any hindrance. Most times, the farm labor provided may not be really efficient and effective because advancement in age of the respondents [15]. This phenomenon literally explains why agriculture is still in the hands of ageing populace.…”

Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Minat Sarjana Pertanian Fakultas Pertanian UNS untuk Bekerja di Bidang Pertanian

“…Rendahnya keterlibatan pemuda dalam pertanian menurut Mbah et al (2016) menyebabkan produktivitas pertanian menjadi rendah, pekerjaan pertanian menjadi membosankan, biaya tenaga kerja menjadi tinggi, pendapatan rumah tangga per tahun mengalami penurunan, pekerjaan pertanian sebagian besar dilakukan oleh orang tu dan kerawanan pangan di rumah tangga. Sarjana pertanian sebagai insan cendekia yang mempelajari ilmu-ilmu dalam pertanian diharapkan mampu memberikan harapan untuk dapat mengelola dan memanfaatkan potensi sumber daya alam Indonesia dengan maksimal.…”

Stemming rural-urban migration through agricultural development: Can Nigeria apply the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic?

“…Inadequate infrastructural facilities in urban areas, urban congestion, lack of opportunities for remunerative work, neglect of agricultural sector have all been linked to rural-migration (Mbah et al, 2016;Alarima, 2018). The mass migration of people especially the youths from rural to urban areas has negative implications for agricultural productivity in rural Nigeria (FAO et al, 2018).…”