Rural Migration in Sub-Saharan Africa: Patterns, Drivers and Relation
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WORKING PAPER Rural migration in sub−Saharan Africa: Patterns, drivers and relation to structural transformation RURAL EMPLOYMENT W ith the technical contribution of RURAL EMPLOYMENT WORKING PAPER Rural migration in sub−Saharan Africa: Patterns, drivers and relation to structural transformation RURAL EMPLOYMENT Authors: Sara Mercandalli (eds.), Bruno Losch (eds.), Michael N. Belebema, Jean-François Bélières, Robin Bourgeois, Mulugeta F. Dinbabo, Sandrine Fréguin-Gresh, Clement Mensah, Christopher Nshimbi. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, 2019 Required citation: Mercandalli S., Losch B. (eds.), Belebema M.N., Bélières J.-F., Bourgeois R., Dinbabo M.F., Fréguin-Gresh S., Mensah C., Nshimbi C.C. 2019. Rural migration in sub−Saharan Africa: Patterns, drivers and relation to structural transformation. Rome, FAO and CIRAD. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca7404en The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO. ISBN 978−92−5−132110−2 © FAO, 2019 Some rights reserved. 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The original [Language] edition shall be the authoritative edition.” Disputes arising under the licence that cannot be settled amicably will be resolved by mediation and arbitration as described in Article 8 of the licence except as otherwise provided herein. The applicable mediation rules will be the mediation rules of the World Intellectual Property Organization http://www. wipo.int/amc/en/mediation/rules and any arbitration will be conducted in accordance with the Arbitration Rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). Third−party materials. Users wishing to reuse material from this work that is attributed to a third party, such as tables, figures or images, are responsible for determining whether permission is needed for that reuse and for obtaining permission from the copyright holder. The risk of claims resulting from infringement of any third−party−owned component in the work rests solely with the user. Sales, rights and licensing. FAO information products are available on the FAO website (www.fao.org/ publications) and can be purchased through publications−[email protected]. Requests for commercial use should be submitted via: www.fao.org/contact−us/licence−request. Queries regarding rights and licensing should be submitted to: [email protected]. Cover Photo: By Laurence Laffont using free of rights photos accessed on: pixabay - www.pixabay.com Contents List of tables and figures VI Acronyms VII Acknowledgments IX Abstract X Introduction 1 1. Framing the study: rural migration drivers and structural transformation in sub−Saharan Africa 4 1.1 Why is understanding rural migration in Africa important? 4 1.1.1. Old processes but new context and patterns 4 1.1.2. Migration drivers, transformation and the development debate 6 1.2 Selected options for investigating rural migration and its drivers in sub-Saharan Africa 7 1.2.1. Review of the literature and qualitative analysis 7 a. Past and current migration patterns and drivers 7 b. Futures studies on migration patterns and drivers 8 1.2.2. Data sources and quantitative analysis 8 a. The data challenge 8 b. Data sources used 9 C. Statistical analyses based on the Rural Livelihood Information System (RuLIS) 9 2. Building a conceptual framework on the drivers of migration in sub−Saharan Africa 13 2.1 Determinants, causes and drivers of migration: a needed clarification 13 2.2 A critical literature review of past and present drivers of migration 14 2.2.1. Conventional theoretical approaches: limitations and empirical biases 14 a. Conventional theories and their limitations 14 b. Common biases of empirical migration studies 15 2.2.2. Emerging comprehensive approaches 16 a. The common ground: migration as part of social transformation 17 b. Integrating micro, meso and macro levels: bringing in capabilities, aspiration and structures 17 c. Multi−dimensionality 18 2.3. A critical synthesis of futures studies on migration 19 2.3.1. Existing studies on migration in Africa 19 2.3.2. Drivers 21 2.3.3. Future patterns of rural migration 21 2.4. The proposed framework for analysing the drivers of rural migration 23 3. What do we know about migration dynamics and patterns in sub−Saharan Africa? 27 3.1. A unique demographic context 27 V 3.2. Continuity and diversification of migration patterns 28 3.2.1 Intra−African migration and its historical roots 28 a. Early and colonial times 29 b. Post−independence: between new barriers and tentative integration 30 3.2.2 Revisiting rural−urban migration 32 3.3 Rural migrants’ profiles 33 4. Analysing the drivers of rural migration: evidence from available data and case studies 37 4.1 What do we learn from existing datasets: drivers at individual and household levels 37 4.1.1. Reasons for migration at individual level: age, sex and location matters 37 4.1.2. Reasons for migration at household level: both wealth and relative deprivation drive migration 39 4.2 Bringing other dimensions and levels of drivers of rural migration 44 4.2.1. Drivers and patterns of rural migration: main insights from five country case studies 44 4.2.2. The evolution in time of drivers complexes: the case of Mozambique 47 4.2.3. Climate change: a misleading determinant but a complex driver of migration 48 Conclusion 50 References 53 Annexes 62 Annex 1: Preliminary assessment of available relevant datasets on migration 62 Annex 2: Missing values for selected variables in 6 countries 67 Annex 3: Definition and measurement of variables for the binary logistic model 69 Annex 4: Synthetic tables of the 37 future studies 70 Annex 5: Plausible scenarios for rural migration based on future states of rural areas and global alternative futures 78 Annex 6: Additional definitions 81 Annex 7: Rural MHH and NMHH profiles: summary statistics for selected variables 83 Annex 8: Results from PCA (factor scores for first component) 87 VI List of tables and figures TABLES: Table 1: Regions and countries selection Table 2: RuLIS selected countries and survey sample size Table 3: Main features of 37 identified futures studies Table 4: Global patterns of migration and potential implications for SSA Table 5: Reasons for internal and international migration by gender and age group (15−34) Table 6: Logistic regression results of determinants and drivers of rural out−migration in six African countries Table 7: Current patterns and drivers of rural migration: synthesis from 5 country case studies FIGURES: Figure 1: The multifaceted drivers of rural migration Figure 2: Rural and urban migration by destination (selected countries) Figure 3: Characteristics of rural migrants and migrants’ households (selected countries) Figure 4: Main reasons for migration (rural migrants, selected countries) Figure 5: Reasons for internal and international migration (selected countries) Figure 6: Wealth quintiles by rural households’ migration status – 6 countries VII Acronyms AU African Union BLR Binary logistic regression CIRAD French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa EAC East African Community ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations GovInn Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation ICT Information and Communication Technology IDP Internally Displaced Person IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development ILO International Labor Organization IMI-DEMIG International Migration Institute – Determinants of International Migration IOM International Organization for Migration LSMS Living Standards Measurement Surveys LSMS-ISA Living Standards Measurement Surveys – Integrated Survey on Agriculture MENA Middle East and North Africa MHH Migrant Household MRHS Migration and Remittances Households Surveys NELM New Economics of Labour Migration NGO Non-Governmental Organization NMHH Non-Migrant Household NR Natural Resources OAU Organization