Rural Development and Urban Migration: Can We Keep Them down on the Farm?

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Abstract
The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that rural development projects and programs reduce rural-urban migration. Migration theories and empirical research are briefly reviewed, generalizations are established and these are used to test the hypothesis for a variety of rural development interventions. The study concludes that the common belief that rural interventions reduce urban migration is not justified. While the migration impact of any specific intervention depends on its characteristics and those of the rural area into which it is introduced, some generalizations can be made. Rural-urban migration may be reduced by interventions which increase cultivatable land, equalize land or income distribution, or decrease fertility. On the other hand, migration appears to be stimulated by interventions which increase access to cities, commercialize agriculture, strengthen rural-urban integration, raise education and skill levels, or increase rural inequalities.