Rural Migration

In the past 50 years, 800 million people moved from rural areas into cities (FAO, 2007). Population pressure, scarce land, decreased agricultural productivity, and lack of wage earning opportunities influence rural migration, which is the result of a complex decision-making process. Usually, it is dictated by a combination of ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors. In some cases, it is triggered by lack of employment and wage-earning opportunities (globally, most migrants are those migrating for employment); in others, by war, civil unrest, expulsion or ethnic conflict and the associated violence and violation of human rights or also by a deteriorating natural environment, declining soil fertility, crop and animal diseases, drought, or floods and other natural disasters that destroy livelihoods.

Rural migration raises both hopes and concerns. Income of migrants sent home in the form of remittances can increase food security, help diversify livelihoods and incomes, and reduce vulnerability associated with shocks. However, migration also reallocates household labour associated with productive and reproductive activities in the areas of origin, reduces labour for food production and increases the work burden of men and women, depending on who is left behind. By enlarging the labour force and the pool of consumers, migrants can boost economic growth in receiving areas, even if urban locations may experience considerable food-insecurity strain from the influx of migrants. However, ensuring that out-migration does not harm domestic development - by leading to an increased number of female-headed households, dramatic shifts in the age and sex composition, and changes in the dynamics of the labour market - is a constant challenge for countries of origin.

Migrant workers can make their best contribution to host and source countries when they enjoy decent working conditions and when their fundamental human and labour rights are respected. Sound agricultural and food security policies can have a significant positive impact on migration outcomes by promoting more and better employment opportunities in rural areas (through enterprise development, employment-based safety nets, and more advanced agricultural technologies), improving opportunities for rural residents to productively use the remittances they receive from migrant relatives; and by minimizing some of the risks associated with cross-boundary migration movements, for instance by controlling the spread of crop pests and animal diseases.

An important component of FAO’s work is to promote policies and programmes to enhance living conditions in rural settings, reduce the magnitude of distress out-migration, and improve the conditions under which international migration takes place.

ILO has been dealing with labour migration since 1919, and it has pioneered the development of international instruments for the governance of labour migration and protection of migrant workers since the 1930s. ILO is now incorporating migration concerns into Decent Work country programmes and national development programmes. ILO helps countries to build capacity to benefit from labour migration and protect the rights of migrant workers based on its recently developed the Multilateral Framework on Labour Migration.

Contacts:

FAO Focal Point: Libor Stloukal, ESWD (Libor.Stloukal@fao.org)

ILO Focal Point: Christiane Kuptsch, MIGRANT (kuptsch@ilo.org)