From distress migration to selective migration: Transformative effects of agricultural development on seasonal migration

Abstract

Mostly for survival rather than wellbeing or profit, seasonal migration is a deeply entrenched but burdensome coping strategy among the rural poor who face seasonal livelihood insecurity, trapping many in a vicious cycle of chronic poverty and seasonal migration. Can rural agricultural development programs effectively transform these livelihoods and places of seasonal migration?Following a mixed-methods approach, including a survey of 1,860 randomly sampled households in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka in India, we assess the potential of the Wadi program, which supports integrated farming systems, to boost the farmers’ agricultural productivity and to change their deeply entrenched but burdensome coping strategy of seasonal migration. When comparing participants of the program with non-participants, we find a significant reduction in the intensity and frequency of seasonal migration, as well as spillover effects – that is, not only the participants but also whole villages profit from an enhanced local economy. We further analyze the general challenges and migration pattern of seasonal migrants, including the factors that play a role in the decision to seasonally migrate. We find that it is crucial to change the reasons underlying seasonal migration in order to enable the development from distress to selective migration. This study’s results imply the benefits to be gained from scaling up the Wadi concept and provide evidence of its positive impacts as a contribution to the science–policy dialogue about development programs. [Display omitted]