Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

Dear authors and colleagues,

Many thanks for the opportunity to provide comments to the draft outline as a way to improve the content of the publication. Please see my key comments bellow:

1. In addition to the range of movements included in the IOM definition of migration, it's relevant to consider planned relocation of households or entire communities. With increasing environmental risks through global change processes such as climate change, relocation is now widely discussed as a necessary or potentially effective intervention for vulnerable communities in marginal rural areas. There's a growing body of literature on this topic (see Cernea 2000, Bronin 2013 and others).

2. As pointed by other contributors, a more comprehensive overview of mobility theories (I.E Mobility Transition by Zelinsky) and demographic theories (Demographic transition) beyond push-pull, NELM and neoclassical frameworks would produce a significantly more robust theoretical underpinning.

3. Careful inclusion of gender analysis to help explore the different impacts and outcomes associated with migration, agriculture and rural developement.  

4. Careful choice of empirical evidence can provide significant evidence on the drivers or migration as well as the impacts of remittances on adaptive capacity and resilience of rural households. The current research undertaken by the DECCMA project (Deltas, Vulnerability & Climate Change: Migration & Adaptation)funded by IDRC-DIFD has assembled large datasets of migrant sending (6000 household in rural and peri-urban areas) and destination areas (3000 migrants in urban areas) in low-lying regions of Bangladesh, Ghana and India.  These rich quantitative datasets are being analysed. Forthcoming planned outputs include peer-reviewed manuscripts on Perceived environmental risks and expected outcomes as motivations for migration decisions; Investment in adaptive capacity enhances resilience in high migration intensity households; and Household composition, migration, and remittances: evidence from Deltas. 

I look forward to continuing this rich discussion and reading the report, Additionaly, please do not hesitate to contact me should you wish to further discuss DECCMA's empirical findings and analysis.

Best wishes,

Ricardo

Dear all,

I want to thank again the contributors who have continued to ensure a lively and interesting discussion as well as really useful and important comments and suggestions. A special thank you to those of you who have suggested specific cases and sources of information. Please keep it up.

I would also like to recognize the many suggestions for improvements to the contents that have continued to arrive. Let me just mention suggestions to look at conditions of migrants in locations of both origin and destination and to consider both the positive dimensions of migration and the risks involved. The suggestion to look more carefully at innovation and migration, especially in relation to youth, is also an interesting one. I have also taken note of the call to go beyond the push-pull framework and bring in additional elements from the demographic literature as well as de-emphasizing the rural-urban dichotomy and rather considering the rural-urban continuum.

I look forward to a continued interesting discussion during the last days of this online consultation.

Andrea

Clearly a chapter on rural migration as a way in to looking at agricultural and rural development is a welcome focus in the report.  In that context, there seems to be fertile scope for integrating the long history of theoretical and empirical work in this area carried out by demographers ---which was set in motion by Boserup among others decades ago.  This body of research may significantly contribute to the present outline while providing important empirical and policy direction as well. I consider this in relation to the key questions raised by the forum.

1. Does the outline focus on the most relevant issues concerning the links between migration, agriculture and rural development or are there important dimensions that have been left out?

I would point to a few significant existing demographic literatures for inclusion not yet reflected in the outline with regard to theoretical approaches for looking at migration in general. 

This includes integrating at least the more state-of-the-art dynamic network approaches to looking at migration pioneered by Doug Massey and others. Also relevant is the work of Alejandro Portes tackling the sociology of migration and the transnationalisation of poverty.  Boserup pays revisiting as well particular with regard to the role technological change and Africa (as well as more current reiterations based on for example, the so-called population/agricultural/environmental nexus that seems to be referred to in the outline (?) -- but as originally defined by Cleaver and Shreiber in the 1990s) .  

In this context, remittance dynamics as financial capital for migration and a driver of continuing migration networks comes into play.  Again their has been extensive analysis of remittances in this context by Massey and others to consider.

However, social capital and networks develop alongside financial flows as well in driving continuing migration flows---So it is not just about remittances but also the way remittances affect the social fabric, how they enable (or marginalise) groups in relation to migration and development across both social and economic fields.

These are just some of the approaches to looking at migration and development that go far beyond the push/pull framework referred to in the outline.  Demographic theory has evolved far beyond that dichotomous approach as I try to point to above.

Indeed, rather than emphasise rural-urban dichotomies as the outline seems to do at the moment, it is the dynamic connections between rural and urban migration flows and spaces, the creation of periurban areas and the rural-urban continuum that seems key in relation to looking at the impacts of migration dynamics on agricultural and rural development.  In this context, Timmer's concepts of rural and agricultural transformation and the role of migration within it are relevant to take on board as well.

Also useful from current demographic theory ---demographers focus more and more on the  interrelatedness and transformation of flows over time rather than defining ideal typologies (labour migration, environmental migration, refugee migration). For example, focusing on looking at how refugees integrate and become permanent migrants over time as opposed to concentrating on identifiying categories of refugee or permanent migration flows.  

Rather than creating static categories or typologies to consider (which do not really exist), it seems important to consider how flows transform over time as part of social and development process of integration, marginalisation etc...  Additionally, demographers generally break down migration phenomena to focus on considering one of its moments or aspects in terms of:  (a) determinants, (b) flow characteristics (age, sex, income, size, direction) or (c) consequences/impacts.  Normally geographic level of analysis or social unit involved  (individuals, couples, households/families, ethnic groups, communities etc..) as well as scale of flows (occurring at local, community,  state, international, regional level) is also important to take into account.  

More and more demographers do not focus on the divide between internal and international flows but the connections between them which really drive economic welfare over time and development  (e.g. prevalence of step migration-- moving from rural area to periurban area, to city and eventual migration internationally). Again it is the interconnection that matters not the category. Finally, the time dimension is also important to consider when looking at and defining migration phenomena ---precisely since flows transform over time (e.g. refugee migrants become permanent migrants or not, labour migrants naturalise in their country of destination, temporary/seasonal/ migrants return home etc..).

These conceptual cuts may be useful organising points for discussion as well.

2. Do you have individual experiences or are you aware of case studies that are useful for informing parts of the report?

Given the differing profiles played by key migration dynamics (refugee migration, female migration, youth migration, seasonal migration etc.) across different world regions, it would seem important to look at case studies regionally.  Having said that, their are important international and internal flows connecting regions to consider (e.g. female labour migration flows from Latin America to Europe, youth flows within Africa, refugee flows from Africa to Europe, internal flows in Asian countries, special situations affecting SIS (small island states) ).

Also, seasonal migrants, however, seems be an especially important group in terms of rural development in many countries that often fall through the net-- because of difficulties in identifying them.

3. Are you aware of important sources of information that could be useful for the preparation of the report?

In an empirical context,  I would start by drawing on the databases and research of the UN Population Division (on migration, on migration policy, on migration and development, on special topics in migration). Particularly important for gaining larger empirical evidence and case studies---- is also to review the expert group meetings the UN Population Division has organised on migration and development over at least the last several decades.  The Division is also a valuable resource in terms of tracking the policy dimensions of migration and rural development.

Migration in the Indian context mainly occurs under two major situations-

a) impact of climate change on water availability resulting in drying up of wetlands and increased drought situation which force the farmers to migrate to other areas, particularly urban areas in search of employment (climate refugees)

b) Farmers are also forced to migrate when 'land grabbing' by the corporates become increasingly common and when forced eviction is enforced in the pretext of infrastructure development..

People without agricultural land find it difficult to sustain as there are hardly any other economic activity. The exploitation of natural resources further aggravate the situation.

While discussing about the types of migration, seasonal migration and chain migration are more conspicuous and relevant in Kerala, the southern most state in India, which is internationally known for the "Kerala model of development" There are many migrants from North India and North East working as labour force in Kerala. An interesting phenomenon is that while large number of youth from Kerala migrate to Gulf countries for employment (out migration), considerable number of youth from North Indian states migrate to Kerala for livelihoods (in migration), which is an interesting area worth for research

The two possible strategies for addressing migration issues in India could be:

- Encouraging 'reverse migration' - by shifting focus on development of 'smart villages' in the place of 'smart cities'

- Skilling Rural India- developing skilled rural workforce by providing employable skills

Prof. R. M. Prasad

Former Associate Director of Extension, Kerala Agricultural University

Former Senior Fellow, National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad

English translation below

La migration entre deux zones rurales doit être vue sue le plan positif comme négatif. Elle peut être perçue aussi comme un moyen d’échange. La communauté A qui se déplace vers celle de B, va laisser le village A, et peut revenir avec les compétences du village B pour développer son village.

C’est vrai que la distinction entre la migration forcée et la migration volontaire peut ne pas être nette mais à long terme ceux de la migration volontaire peuvent avoir facilement la volonté de rentrer ou de revenir investir chez eux. 

Même si les politiques de développement agricole et rural affectent les moteurs de la migration il faudra aussi prendre en compte le milieu, ses caractéristiques et les moyens naturels dont il dispose pour son développement. Il est a noté que pour une zone rurale peu propice aux développements, il va falloir mettre l’accent sur d’autres moyens ou infrastructures qui peuvent créer de l’emploi et donc réduire le taux de migration.

Les questions de migrations, développement rural et agriculture doivent prendre en compte le niveau de développement du pays, ses moyens, ses forces et faiblesses. Notons aussi que la situation politique du pays est aussi un facteur important qui peut influences ces trois paramètres.

La délimitation des frontières, la devises, la productivité des pays sont des paramètres à prendre en compte dans les flux migratoires rurales. Comme pour exemple il est difficile de comprendre que des paysans producteurs de piments quittent le plateau Adja (Mono/Couffo au Bénin) pour se diriger dans des villages au Nigéria pour louer des terres et produire du piment.

Migration between two rural areas must be seen from both the possitive and negative sides. It can also be seen as a means of exchange. The A community that moves towards the B, will leave the village A, and could return with the competences learnt from village B to develop its village.

It is true that the distinction between forced migration and voluntary migration may not be clear cut but in the long term those who voluntarily migrate can without hindrance exercise the wish to return home or to come back and invest there.

Even if agricultural and rural development policies impact the drivers of migration it is necessary to take into account the environment, its characteristics and the natural means available for it to develop.  It is important to note that for a rural area unattractive for development, it will be necessary to put emphasis on other methods or infrastructures that could create employment and therefore reduce the migration rate.

The questions of migration, rural development and agriculture, must take into account the level of a country’s development, its capabilities, its strengths and weaknesses. Likewise, we note that the political situation is also an important factor that could influence these three parameters.

The position of frontiers, the currency and the country´s productivity are parameters to be taken into account in the rural migration flows. For example, it is difficult to understand why farmers producing chilies leave the high plains of Adja (Mono/Couffo in Benin) to go to villages in Nigeria to rent land and produce chilies.

I saw considerable weaknesses in your outlined report. The report would be more interesting to the targeted readers if you provided compelling pieces of evidence. I would like to point two issues.

1. Pull factors of the rural immigration are poorly accounted. I partially agree your statement that the migration trend reverses once socioeconomic conditions improve in the rural areas. In some cases, people return in the areas in status quo condition. Based on my experiences in Nepal, some people from cities or aboard return to rural communities once they retire from their jobs. Migration from one rural area to another rural area is another case. Some people cannot manage satisfactory living of their families in urban areas, aboard or other migrated area. In that condition too, they return to their original communities where they can do at least by their social capital.
2. I would like to remind you that many agro-biodiversities are outcomes of socio-ecological processes which requires inputs of the human. Rural out-migration has a big adverse impact on degraded of regional agro-biodiversities especially to those developed by socioecological processes. This case is very serious in remote mountain areas in Nepal.

Thanks.

B. Dhakal

Dear Colleagues,

Some comments to „Rural migration, agriculture and rural development“

Sustainability of food production is one of the most important challenge for all those working in or dealing wirh agriculture. I have some doubts, if the present social-economic system „to make Profit on the costs of Population and Planet“ (incl. ressources and environment; so-called 3 P- concept) is able to solve the global problems according your topic.

For more details and some ideas to this topic see attached contribution.

With best regards

Gerhard Flachowsky (Braunschweig, Germany)

Hello Andrea,

This looks very interesting intiative - congrats in advance.

It looks migration and innovation could be an interesting area to consider. There is an example of meaningful use of technology/social media by youth migrants to benefit local people at their origin from mega projects, which could be of your interest: 

I recently conducted a study in two Thailand villages, where they have a huge flow of youth out-migration to towns and cities. These migrants are connected to their villages and have been contributing to conserve the natural diversity and secure the customary rights of local people over forests and wetlands which are important sources of food (fish, crabs, herbs, fruits, edible plants, rice etc.). 

Frist, the youth migrants have used the technology and updated information online about two megha projects - the special economic zones (SEZ) and One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiatives. The online database is in Thai language and includes information like advantages and challenges of the projects to local agriculture and livelihoods, cultural practices and economic  development etc. 

Second, the migrants have successfully connected to local vilalgers, school students, social leaders and local government representatives with the help of social media, mainly through Line and Facebook.  These platforms are instrumental to share information about these two major development projects which are likely to bring  major changes to agriculture and forestry practices in the villages.

The sharing of information with the rural people and local government authorities has already started giving some fruits. One example includes ontinuing with natural diversity in the wetlands and preventing them from development of warehouse.

The updating of OBOR information is still in-progress.  

Cheers, 

Binod

English translation below

Bonjour 

Vous allez perdre encore des mois des années pour étudier, parler, écouter ce qui se passe sans que rien ne soit fait pour arranger les choses.

Il n'y a pas besoin de faire cette étude quand elle existe déjà là sous vos yeux et que vous avez la solution.

En France tous les petits commerces de proximité ferment. Au Sénégal c'est le contraire tous les jours s'ouvrent des petits commerces de proximité.

Déjà vous avez une réponse rapide à savoir comment doit se développer le modèle économique de la société civile. Laisser la liberté de travail à l'économie de marché.

Sauf qu'aujourd'hui cette économie de marché est bridée par l'intelligence artificielle qui veut tout gérér et surtout qui ponctionne financièrement cette économie de marché au point de la mettre en danger tous les jours. Au Sénégal beaucoup de petits commerces fonctionnent tous les jours. S'ils fonctionent tous les jours c'est parce qu'un seul jour de non fonctionnement leur enlève le gain financier pour vivre le lendemain. Voilà la situation précaire que vous avez créé et que vous n'arrivez plus à gérer. L'économie de marché est dans une situtation de précarité permanente ce qui est à l'origine de conflits et autres incidents.

Au Sénégal j'installe une économie de marché biologique et économique. Sauf que la majorité de l'argent investie par vers les à coté de la vie de mon représentant. Si vous voulez une vraie photo de cette problématique, écoutez cette personne et vous verrez ou sont les vrais problèmes de la vie économiques actuelle.

Sa femme travaille tous les jours en petite restauration de rue qui lui permet de renouveler son produit du lendemain et faire vivre sa famille le jour même.

Lui il retire l'argent de l'investissement agricole pour payer l'école, les transports, le logement, la nourriture des ouvriers, de lui même. Cela sous entend qu'il travaille à perte.

Vous avez mis en place une économie de marché boiteuse immorale. Comment voulez vous résoudre la problématique en faisant des études sur les flux migratoires. 

Mille fois il a voulu arrêter l'exploitation, mille fois il a fallu avancer la perte d'exploitation/investissement. C'est sans fin. 

Arrêtez vos recherches libérez le travail, rendez le productif productif,  laisser surtout l'intelligence économique travailler. Elle sait comment faire elle n'a pas besoin de vous pour celà.

Ci dessous vous avez le parfait exemple de mon précédent post.

Des milliers de gens (intelligence artificielle) discourent sur ce genre de sujet mais combien comme moi mettent en pratique une solution?

Ma solution touche tous les pans de la société civile: santé, alimentaire, productivité, agriculture, salubrité publique, protection des réserves d'eaux souterraines, emplois, création d'entreprise, évonomie de marché, richesse du travail, arret des flux migratoires, arrêt de l'exode rural,  fixation de la jeunesse au pays etc.

Good day!

You will waste months and years studying, talking and listening about what is happening without anything being done to improve the situation.

There is no need to have this study when it is already there before your eyes and you have the solution.

In France all the small local shops are closing down.  In Senegal it is the opposite, small local shops open every day.

You already have a quick answer for how the economic model for civil society should be developed. Give the market economy freedom to work.

Except that today this market economy is hemmed in by artificial intelligence which seeks to manage everything and, above all, financially draining this market economy to the point of putting it daily in danger. In Senegal many small shops are open every day. If they open every day it is because not opening just one day removes the financial profit needed to live the next day. This is the precarious situation that you have created and that you can no longer manage. The market economy is in a permanently precarious situation which is the cause of conflicts and other incidents.

In Senegal, I would set up a biological and economic market economy. Except that most of the capital invested towards it has marginalized the life of the typical individual.  If you want a true picture of this problem, listen to this person and you will see what the real economic problems of life are today.

His wife works every day in a little street-food stall which allows her to restock her products for the next day and support her family for a day.

He takes money out of his agricultural investment to pay for school, transport, accommodation, and to feed his workers and himself. This means that he is working at a loss.

You have implemented a flawed immoral market economy. How can you solve the problem by studying migration flows?

A thousand times he has wanted to stop operating; a thousand times he has rolled over the loss on operating /investment. It is without end.

Stop your research, free work, make the producer productive, and above all allow economic intelligence to work. It does know what to do; it does not need you for that.

Here below you have the perfect example of my foregoing post.

Thousands of people (artificial intelligence) discourse on this topic but how many like me put a solution into practice?

My solution touches all areas of civil society: health, food, productivity, agriculture, public health, protection of underground water reserves, employment, setting up businesses, market economy, quality of work, control of migration flows, ending rural exodus, keeping the youth in the country, etc.

Dear Dr Cattaneo, 

Firstly let me congratulate FAO on bringing out a SOFA on such an important topic such as Migration, and specifically its dynamics in Rural development issues. I have read through the draft outline and the following are my comments/responses to your guiding questions: 

Does the outline focus on the most relevant issues concerning the links between migration, agriculture and rural development or are there important dimensions that have been left out?

The outline does capture the principle elements of Migration, the theories as well as practical issues. However, I would like to add perhaps a section on Health issues relating to migrants as well a a bit about their conditions in destination areas, (which is often overlooked) as opposed to only the source can also be discussed. Additionally, when I did my PhD on Rural to Urban Migration nearly 10 years ago, migration was always seen as a negative aspect, and rarely as something pro economic growth or individual growth, etc. Many of the rural economic guarantee schemes of that time and in a larger even at present operated with a 'migration is bad' kind of a mindset so they were designed to keep migrants in their villages. A comprehensive approach that looks at migration both in their source or origin and destination site would be beneficial for all parties. 

Do you have individual experiences or are you aware of case studies that are useful for informing parts of the report?

My PhD thesis focused on livelihood insecurities in the semi arid tropics, specifically on rural poverty dynamics from rural to urban migration. It was one of the earlier studies to look at the health aspect of migration, particularly on HIV/AIDS.  I looked at rural urban migration in Andhra Pradesh, India. I found that while migration was indeed a result of the so called 'push' factors of drought and absence of safety nets in home villages. It resulted a great deal of good for the migrants to repay their debts, build assets and most important as a majority of the migrants were from the supposed lower caste, they felt a sense of freedom when they were in the city even in harsh conditions, that they did not feel in their villages due to the institutionalized social barriers.  "No matter how rich I am in my village, I will always be low, I am better of lifting stones in the city, where I am just a worker and accepted as one" - VK, Age 28, Migrant (One of my study respondents actual quote). Despite giving them economic and social freedom, because of the lack of ability to track migrants and what happens to them on a larger scale at the destination, interventions often fail. So in the case of my respondents, a significant number were involved in unsafe multiple partner sexual behavior which resulted in contracting HIV/AIDS, which pushed them further into poverty. So while migration can be positive, if not handled comprehensively it can fail like in any economic movement. I called this the 'Risk to Risk Framework". You can read a bit about this in this paper: 

https://www.wider.unu.edu/publication/livelihood-risk-hiv-semi-arid-tro…

and a bit more in detail in this book chapter (the only PhD thesis to be part of this book on Vulnerability)

https://www.wider.unu.edu/publication/vulnerability-developing-countries

(Mine is chapter 6)

While these have been quite a while since I published and a lot of improvements have been happening, some of the elements I have raised have still not been addressed, Migration is still seen as a negative aspect by many governments, Still source and destination are not seen together, multiple agencies such as Departments of Health, Rural Development etc. are still working in silos and a whole more more that this space is not enough to discuss. 

Are you aware of important sources of information that could be useful for the preparation of the report?

It was a migrant worker who made me move from IT to Development so both my Masters and PhD both focused on Migration and since then I have focused mostly on livelihoods and reducing vulnerability in general. However currently I am developing project where migrants can be given sensor based wearable tech to track their progress as well as send info in things like, their contract location, price, safety issues, awareness campaigns. It's in the beginning stages. Partners welcome. 

Kudos again for a SOFA on migration!

Best regards, 

Valentine Gandhi