Internal Labour Migration and Its Impact on Agriculture in Ghana

Bc. Donald Kumi Agyare

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Internal labour migration is radically changing the face of rural development with far-reaching implications on agriculture and rural transformation. The study seeks examines the relationship between internal labour migration and agricultural development in Ghana. The aim of the study is to determine the effects of internal labour migration on agricultural development by using statistical models. The study uses both empirical data and theoretical studies to address the objective of the study at hand; the broader question being on what is the impact of internal labour migration on agriculture. For this purpose, a secondary data set obtained from the Ghana Statistical Service under the GLSS6 initiative and Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The data covered a period of twenty-six years (1991-2016). The study applied an autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL) and vector autoregressive model (VAR) in determining the impact of internal migration on agriculture. The problem being labour migration at a household level affects the labour force of the families left behind both directly and indirectly. The results of the study found out that internal labour migration is a livelihood strategy for both the migrants and their families left behind. Migration is part of an income diversification strategy where remittances are being sent to the farming household to help reduce the risks incurred in both subsistence and agriculture activities. Therefore by looking into the results and discussions of the study, internal labour migration and its impact on agricultural development were found to be both beneficial and negative, being internal labour migration shows a negative impact on agriculture in the short-term than in the long-term.

Abstract:

Internal labour migration is radically changing the face of rural development with far-reaching implications on agriculture and rural transformation. The study seeks examines the relationship between internal labour migration and agricultural development in Ghana. The aim of the study is to determine the effects of internal labour migration on agricultural development by using statistical models. The study uses both empirical data and theoretical studies to address the objective of the study at hand; the broader question being on what is the impact of internal labour migration on agriculture. For this purpose, a secondary data set obtained from the Ghana Statistical Service under the GLSS6 initiative and Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The data covered a period of twenty-six years (1991-2016). The study applied an autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL) and vector autoregressive model (VAR) in determining the impact of internal migration on agriculture. The problem being labour migration at a household level affects the labour force of the families left behind both directly and indirectly. The results of the study found out that internal labour migration is a livelihood strategy for both the migrants and their families left behind. Migration is part of an income diversification strategy where remittances are being sent to the farming household to help reduce the risks incurred in both subsistence and agriculture activities. Therefore by looking into the results and discussions of the study, internal labour migration and its impact on agricultural development were found to be both beneficial and negative, being internal labour migration shows a negative impact on agriculture in the short-term than in the long-term.

Keywords

Zemědělství, Zaměstnanost, Práce, Migrace venkova a měst, Migrace pracovních sil, Živobytí

Keywords

Employment, Labour, Labour migration, Agriculture, Livelihood, Rural-urban migration

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 18. 5. 2018

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Ing. Veronika Svatošová, Ph.D.

Mendel University in Brno

Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies

Master programme / field:
International Territorial Studies / International Development Studies