Effects Of Rural-Urban Migration On Output Of Farmers In Umuattia South Local Government Area Of Abia State

ABSTRACT

Nigeria was previously an agricultural economy. Then agricultural sector was contributing about 80 percent of the total Nigeria export and about 75 percent of Nigeria population lived in the rural areas and obtained their means of livelihood from agriculture. But unfortunately, this sector has been doing so badly in the past few years. For example, in 1965, agricultural exports accounted for as much as 76 percent of the Nigeria foreign exchange earnings, 43 percent in 1970 while the contribution fell to about 6 percent in 1976. 3.9 percent in 1989 and 1.4 percent in 1992 (CBN Annual Report 1996). Among the factors responsible for the decline of agricultural production is the case of rural-urban migration which involves the movement of people from the rural areas to the urban centres. The family labour which the rural farmers depend solely upon has been reduced drastically due to migration to urban centres. The phenomenon consequently resulted to high cost of production, low productivity, reduction in annual income and a fall in the standard of living of rural populace (Akangbe et al. .2006).