EFFECTS OF RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND HOUSEHOLDS' WELFARE IN NORTHERN BENIN

Abstract

In Benin, approximately 70% of employment is in the agricultural sector, which is rural-based. Despite this, the labour force engaging in subsistence farming encounters seasonal variability due to rural-urban migration in the study area. Some studies have investigated the link between climate change and migration in Benin, without evaluating its impact on the left behind family. This study analyses the effects of rural-urban migration on agricultural production and households' welfare in northern Benin, using data from 400 farm households. This study has measured migration as categorical variable and has employed a treatment effect model for the analysis Using multinomial logistic regression, the study found that factors such as age and sex of the household heads, household size and debt, access to migration information, rural unemployment, urban employment, agreement of the household’s head, and family member at the destination are the factors influencing the internal migration in the study area. The study also estimated the efficiency level using stochastic frontier correcting for selection bias and found that the farm households with migrants are more efficient than the farm households without migrants (0.98vs0.60). Furthermore, the study estimates the impact of the type of migration on agricultural revenue and household welfare using the multinomial endogenous switching regression. The findings reveal that farm households with permanent migrants earn an average treatment effect of 0.705 CFA higher compared to farm households with temporary migrants, who earn 0.612 CFA. Concerning the welfare, permanent migrants earn an average treatment effect of 20,269 CFA, lower than the farm households with temporary migrants, 38,112.81 CFA. Also, the remittances analysis has shown that households with temporary migrants have received more income compared to their counterparts. The research concludes that, in general, rural-urban migration has a positive effect on the farm households in the study area, with the impact more pronounced on the agricultural revenue for those with permanent migrants, and on the farm households' welfare for those with temporary migrants. Therefore, the study recommends that farm household heads and potential migrants should make informed rural-urban migration decisions by carefully assessing potential benefits and risks using reliable information, while governments strengthen accessible information platforms on migration pathways, employment opportunities, and labour market conditions in the urban area to support such decisions.