Rural-urban migration and productivity in the Nigerian agricultural sector

This project examines the relationship between agricultural productivity and rural-urban migration in Nigeria. This relationship is first explored by estimating an agricultural productivity model on country level data covering the years between 1971 and 2002. The relationship is further explored by reviewing case studies and empirical studies. In general, the findings support the theory that rural-urban migration negatively impacts agricultural productivity through the loss of productive members of the rural areas. In addition, the results support policies aimed at increasing access to credit in rural areas. Four policy options are designed and the resulting recommendation is the modification of the status quo to include the creation of cooperatives for rural women-headed households who have lost a significant portion of the men in their households to cities.