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Effect of rural-urban migration on rice production in Enugu State, Nigeria
Abstract
This study assessed the effect of rural-urban migration on rice production in Enugu State, Nigeria. Multi-stage and Purposive sampling procedure was used to select 60 respondents which constituted the sample size of the study. Data were obtained through the use of a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and percentages, and inferential statistics such as correlation and z-test procedure were employed for analyses of data. Findings indicated that majority of the respondents (81.67%) were at their youthful age of 16 to 45 years old. The highest household size obtained was between 4 and 9 persons per household. Majority of the respondents in the study area (53.33%) were small scale farmers and had below 6 hectares of rice farm land. Poor living conditions, low influx of income and lack of employment were the most important reasons for rural-urban migration as confirmed by the respondents in Enugu State (65.00%). In the study area, 62.68% migrated to the urban areas. A larger proportion of the respondents (60.00%) indicated that between 4 and 9 household members participated in the rice production activities. The Pearson correlation result showed a significant relationship between urban migration and rice production in Enugu State at 1% level of probability. The study concludes that there is a significant and negative relationship between urban migration and rice production in Enugu State. Based on the findings of this study, there is need for policies aimed at intense effort to transform the rural areas holistically, by making available sufficient socio-economic and infrastructural amenities such as: higher income earning jobs, educational (especially tertiary education) facilities, electricity, good roads (including farm roads), pipe borne water, good housing condition, financial institutions and other basic social-economic services for the rural dwellers.
Keywords: Rural-Urban Migration, Rice Production, and Enugu State