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Assessing the Impact of Massive Out-Migration on Agriculture

Author

Listed:
  • Nancy McCarthy

    (International Food Policy Research Institute Washington, D. C.)

  • Gero Carletto

    (World Bank, Washington D.C. USA)

  • Benjamin Davis

    (Agricultural and Development Economics Division, Food and Agriculture Organization)

  • Irini Maltsoglou

    (Food and Agriculture Organization)

Abstract

Over the past several years, rural areas in transition countries have experienced a structural transformation of their agricultural sectors combined with profound demographic changes, primarily due to massive out-migration towards urban areas and abroad. Despite the potential relevance of migration – and the resulting remittances – in fostering, or hindering, transformation in agriculture, very little is understood about the linkages between these activities. Using data from two waves of the Albania Panel Survey carried out between 2002 and 2003, this paper is an attempt to contribute to a better understanding of the role migration has played in the re-allocation of resources in agriculture among migrant families in Albania, a country which epitomizes the power of change associated with out-migration. As per the hypothesis, our findings suggest that migration exerts a strong downward pressure on agricultural labor per capita. However, the evidence also suggests that the loss in household labor in agriculture is compensated by increased access to capital, leading to overall improvements in both agricultural and total incomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Nancy McCarthy & Gero Carletto & Benjamin Davis & Irini Maltsoglou, 2006. "Assessing the Impact of Massive Out-Migration on Agriculture," Working Papers 06-14, Agricultural and Development Economics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO - ESA).
    • Handle: RePEc:fao:wpaper:0614
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Zhu, Zhen & Xu, Zhigang & Shen, Yueqin & Huang, Chenming & Zhang, Yaoqi, 2019. "How off-farm work drives the intensity of rural households' investment in forest management: The case from Zhejiang, China," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 30-43.
    3. Tharani Gopalakrishnan & Md Kamrul Hasan & A. T. M. Sanaul Haque & Sadeeka Layomi Jayasinghe & Lalit Kumar, 2019. "Sustainability of Coastal Agriculture under Climate Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-24, December.
    4. Tran, Thi Xuyen, 2021. "Typhoon and Agricultural Production Portfolio -Empirical Evidence for a Developing Economy," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242411, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    5. Zhou, Hong & Yan, Jianzhong & Lei, Kun & Wu, Ya & Sun, Laixiang, 2020. "Labor migration and the decoupling of the crop-livestock system in a rural mountainous area: Evidence from Chongqing, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    6. Deininger, Klaus & Savastano, Sara & Carletto, Calogero, 2012. "Land Fragmentation, Cropland Abandonment, and Land Market Operation in Albania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(10), pages 2108-2122.
    7. Stéphanie Jaquet & Thomas Kohler & Gudrun Schwilch, 2019. "Labour Migration in the Middle Hills of Nepal: Consequences on Land Management Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-19, March.
    8. World Bank, 2007. "Albania - Urban Growth, Migration and Poverty Reduction : A Poverty Assessment," World Bank Publications - Reports 7659, The World Bank Group.
    9. Mendola, Mariapia & Carletto, Calogero, 2012. "Migration and gender differences in the home labour market: Evidence from Albania," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 870-880.
    10. Juna Miluka & Gero Carletto & Benjamin Davis & Alberto Zezza, 2010. "The Vanishing Farms? The Impact of International Migration on Albanian Family Farming," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(1), pages 140-161.
    11. Serge Savary & Sonia Akter & Conny Almekinders & Jody Harris & Lise Korsten & Reimund Rötter & Stephen Waddington & Derrill Watson, 2020. "Mapping disruption and resilience mechanisms in food systems," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(4), pages 695-717, August.
    12. World Bank, 2007. "Albania : Strategic Policies for a More Competitive Agriculture Sector," World Bank Publications - Reports 7563, The World Bank Group.
    13. Caulfield, Mark & Bouniol, Judith & Fonte, Steven J. & Kessler, Aad, 2019. "How rural out-migrations drive changes to farm and land management: A case study from the rural Andes," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 594-603.
    14. Rajkumar, Vidya Bharathi, 2021. "Male Migration and the Emergence of Female Farm Management in India," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315329, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    15. Amy Lynne Damon, 2010. "Agricultural Land Use and Asset Accumulation in Migrant Households: the Case of El Salvador," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(1), pages 162-189.
    16. Talip Kilic & Calogero Carletto & Juna Miluka & Sara Savastano, 2009. "Rural nonfarm income and its impact on agriculture: evidence from Albania," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 40(2), pages 139-160, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Migration; agriculture; household production.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets

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