Effects of Rural – Urban Interaction on Socio-Economic Status of Rural Dwellers in Oyo-State, Nigeria

Abstract

Rural-urban interaction is the linkage across space and sector, involving rural and urban areas in terms of flow of people, goods, money, information and participation in activities that saddle the two areas. The linkages have proven beneficial for poverty alleviation as well as national economic growth. This study examines the effects of rural-urban interaction on socio-economic status of rural dwellers in Oyo State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 180 respondents for the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results of analysis reveals that majority of the respondents’ are between the ages of 31 – 50 years (63.9%), male (81.1%), married (83.3%) and had between 1 – 5 children (53.9%), while 81.7% had formal of education and Muslims (61.1%). Spatial interaction of the respondents include flow of cash (60.0%), commodity flow (54.4%), flow of people (51.7%) and flow of information (58.3%), while sectoral interaction of respondents include Okada riding, motor mechanic, hair barbing and dressing and petty trading among many others. Major livelihood activities of the respondents are crop farming (73.3%) and livestock rearing (57.2%). More than half of the respondents are of poor socio-economic status (51.7%). Significant relationship exist between respondents educational attainment (χ² = 27.151, P = 0.007), level of interaction (r = 0.245, p = 0.001), and socio-economic status. It is therefore being concluded that rural-urban interactions have effect on socio-economic status of rural dwellers in the study area. Policy makers and development workers should exploit the role of rural-urban interaction to bring about sustainable livelihood in the present changing perspective of extension system in Nigeria.