The Impact of the Green Revolution Programme on Rural-urban Migration in Nigeria
Chapter One
Research objectives
- To find out the causes and effects of rural-urban migration in Ndokwa East
- To outline which LGA programmes and policies would enhance the economic wellbeing of the Ndokwa East community
- To find out the current state and level of implementation of the identified Rural infrastructures and activities in Ndokwa East
- To find out how Rural infrastructures initiative can reduce the rural urban migration in Ndokwa East
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
There is a need to review the literature on rural-urban migration in Nigeria. This is based on the fact that attention has been directed towards urbanization while neglecting the rural areas where the resources are tapped. The literature review is also undertaken as a way of appreciating the gaps in knowledge on rural-urban migration, which would require refocusing and/or exploring.
Meaning and Scope of Rural-Urban Migration
Migration, is the movement of people from one location to the other with the purposes of taking up a permanent or temporary residence, can occur in several dimensions. The dimensions include rural-rural migration, rural-urban migration, urban-rural migration or urban-urban migration.
Todaro (1982) sees migration as a selective process affecting individuals with certain economic, social, educational, psychological and demographic characteristics. The social factors include the desire to break away from traditional ties and constraints of social organizations. The physical factor include climate and metrological disasters like flood and droughts, demographic factors include the reduction in mortality rates and concomitant high rates of rural population growth, cultural factors on the other hand include the security of urban extended family relationships and the allurement of the so called bright city light.
Gurgler (1978) defines migration as the movement of individuals or groups from one society to another for the purpose of residing either temporarily or permanently. It is a worldwide activity. This movement may be as a result of education, employment, infrastructural facilities, social amenities, a good standard of living etc. On the other hand it could be as a result of lack of economic and non economic factors.
Guler and Flanagan (1977) as cited by (Hutton, 1973) contended that the predominate cause of rural – urban migration in West African has been economic reasons. They opined that there are other factors aside economic factors which can induce individual(s) to migrate. This, they identified as social or physical factors. For instance, when an individual in a rural area commits a crime or an abomination in the community, he tries to run away where he is not known.
Okpara (1983) reveals that migrants from rural to urban areas are always many compared to those coming from urban to rural areas. The movement from rural to urban areas makes a negative impact on the quality of rural life especially when such migrants carry away their needed consumption into the city. Migration of young adults from the rural areas also placed a greater burden on the farmers. For farmers to cover the same area of land as when he had extra assistance, he must work much longer hours thus depriving him of some time for leisure or participation in various social activities.
Ledent (1982) concludes that the evolution of rural-urban migration rate and standard of living follows the following pattern “it first increases, reaches a maximum and then decreases towards a value of zero”.
Impact of Rural-Urban Migration on Economic Development
According to Oderth (2002) migration has shaped the nature of both receiving and places of origin more than any other phenomenon in human geography. The existence of an intricate relationship between immigration and development is also captured by Hammer et al. (2002), who claim that migration can have a decisive impact on the direction and speed of development on both origin and destination.
The existing research on the impact of rural-urban migration on development in Nigeria is also limited and inconclusive. Fadayomi (1998) reveals that internal migration has a negative impact on the quality of rural life because it reduces the number of individuals in rural areas. Migration of young adults from the rural areas places general persistence of rural-urban and rural –rural migration types.
On the other hand, studies by Ijere (1994) reveal that rural–urban migration has a positive impact on urban growth and social development, which makes generation of employment opportunities and provision of educational facilities and transportation infrastructure for the migrants possible. Until recently, researchers have not paid much attention to the management of rural –urban drift.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
This chapter describes the plan and method by which the research activity is carried out. Rajasekar, Philominathan, and Chinnathambi, (2006) defined methodology as a systematic way to solve a problem. According to the study, it is the procedure by which researchers go about their work describing, explaining and predicting phenomenon.
This chapter provides details on the method for conducting the study. Areas considered include the research design, the population, the sample and the technique for its selection, the research instrument, data collection procedure and data analysis procedure. The chapter concludes with the statistical techniques utilized for the data analysis.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research design is the detailed outline of how the research is conducted which include how data is collected, what research instrument is used, how itis used and the means for analysing the data collected.
The research design employed in this study is a descriptive and quantitative survey, which was used to achieve the outlined objectives and structured questionnaires as the most suitable technique for such a survey. The survey research collects information from the population for intensive analysis by the researcher.
POPULATION OF STUDY
Population refers to the totality of a universal set contained in particular study area i.e. prospective respondents that possess the characteristics or that have the knowledge of the particular study in question from which a sample would be selected. In this study Ndokwa East village was confined to a subset of the entire population.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Introduction
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
This chapter summaries the major findings, conclusions and recommendations from the study. The lack of sustainable economic opportunities at the origin accounts for rural-urban migration in Nigeria. This study examined how Rural infrastructures could be used to help reduce rural-urban migration in communities that lack sustainable economic opportunities. The objective of the study was to find out the possible causes and effects of rural-urban migration in Ndokwa East. It also sought to identify which LGA programmes/policies would enhance the economic wellbeing of communities in Ndokwa East, the current state and level of implementation of the identified Rural infrastructures and activities and also how green revolution programme can reduce rural-urban migration in the community.
Summary of Socio-demographic Characteristics
Majority of the persons who had ever migrated to the southern part of the country in search of job opportunities were aged between 16-19 (75%). Sixty- two percent of the migrants were males while thirty-seven percent of them were female. Most of the migrants were married and hence had greater motivation to migrate for economic opportunities to be able to cater for their wife(s) and children. 48 percent had no formal education while just 5% had university education.
Causes of Rural Urban Migration in the Ndokwa East Community
Respondents cited the lack of jobs as the major reason for the North-South migration in the community. The income of persons who has ever migrated was higher than non-migrants.
This is enough motivation for people to migrate to the South to find job opportunities in order to increase their income levels. Majority of the respondents said they if Rural infrastructures and projects were implemented successfully in the community they would have no reason to migrate in search of extra income.
LGA Programmes that Promote LED
Both the regional and the district planning office view Rural infrastructures as a policy that would help reduce the seasonal rural-urban migration in not only the community but also the whole of the northern part of Nigeria. According to the 1992, constitution the D.A is mandated to facilitate LED by providing a more conducive environment for investments and develop programmes and policies that would indirectly create jobs. Two key government programmes implemented at the LGA level that have the potential of promoting Rural infrastructures in the community are the SADA and NRGP.
The SADA programme is expected to provide opportunities for the poor in the community to increase their incomes.However, according to respondents the SADA programme has not taken off in their community yet. They hope that once the SADA programme is implemented in their community it could help create jobs for the youth and hence reduce the season flow of rural-urban migration.
Then NRGP and agricultural initiative by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is also another government policy targeted at creating jobs in the northern part of the country through the rehabilitation of feeder roads to farm gates, grants for agricultural machinery, irrigation for dry season farming and linking farmers to market. Only a few respondents have benefited from dry season farming support from this programme. The level of implementation on the projects according to respondents is low since its benefits only a few members of the community.
Level of Implementation of green revolution programme
Respondents from the in-depth interview agreed that the level of implementation of most of the projects by government and NGOs is low. There is the need to upscale most of the projects in order for it to benefit the wider community. Most of the projects are in fragments and the value chain for most of these economic activities have not been carefully identified
Other Findings
The major cause for rural-urban migration in the Ndokwa East community is the lack of jobs or sustainable economic activity
Respondents agree that if there was all year round economic activity there would be less rural-urban migration
Both the government and private agencies are the main stakeholders which need to partner the LGA to successfully implement all Rural infrastructures in the district. In the district, other stakeholders are supporting the assembly to deliver some of the Rural infrastructures.
Provision of key infrastructure is the major contribution that partner stakeholders are involved in Rural infrastructures.
The LGA is not however playing its role effectively in implementing Rural infrastructures according to respondents
In addition, most of the people within the communities in the district are not aware of Rural infrastructures carried out by the LGA.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study the following recommendations were made:
The people in the community should be adequately sensitized on Rural infrastructures which would benefit them and they should be encouraged to be involved to promote the concept of participation at the grassroots /community level.
Rural infrastructures should be an important strategy of Local government to help facilitate the process of economic development and change the standard of living of people in the community. The Rural infrastructures concept can play the role of helping the private sector to expand and grow creating employment and increasing the revenue base of the Assemblies through taxation for improved infrastructural development.
There should be a Rural infrastructures consultative platform that would encourage a more coordinated approach to community development.
Rural infrastructures should focus on the youth in order to engage them in all year round economic activities. This would in turn reduce their migration to the south for work
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