Rural-urban migration of farmers in Delta and Edo States, Nigeria: policy implications

ABSTRACT This study examined the agricultural causes and effects of rural-urban migration in Nigeria and its policy implications. A simple random sampling technique was used to obtain a sample size 111. A semi-structured questionnaire was used. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data. Data analyzed revealed that major migration cause was unemployment ( = 83%) and effect was drop in agricultural output ( = 90.1%). The study inferred that there were no functional implementation of policy-based agricultural and rural development programs in actuality to reduce the exodus of rural-urban migration. The implication is that rural dwellers particularly farming youths will continue out-migration to urban areas leaving the rural environmental resources untapped. The major effect of migration was a decrease in farmers’ income. The inclusion of policy formulation and implementation in this study will boost rural agricultural productivity.