ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTS OF RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION ON AGRICULTURAL FOOD CROPS PRODUCTION IN RURAL COMMUNITIES OF AKKO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, GOMBE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study assesses the effects of rural-urban migration, on agricultural food crops production in rural communities of Akko Local Government Area, Gombe state, Nigeria. The assessed the determinants of migration, identified the level of food crops production over the years in the study area and poverty level caused by migration, it also examined the sources of households agricultural labour in the study area  well as the policy framework that can be put in place to reduce rural-urban migration and poverty in the study area. Data for this study were collected using both primary and secondary sources. The primary data were collected through structured questionnaire administered that to the household heads in the study area, while the secondary data used for this study were collected from published sources. Relevant materials for this study were obtained from different research reports from Gombe Agricultural Development Programme (GADP) and Gombe state Ministry of agriculture.  Stratified sampling technique was used to select villages where questionnaires were administered, and also simple random sampling was adopted to select the respondents within villages. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistical tools employed in this study were tables, frequencies, percentages, bar-graphs and pie-charts while inferential statistical tools of pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient was used to determine the correlation between sources of agricultural labour supply and the level of crop production over the years in the study area. The results of the findings revealed that the major sources of agricultural labour in the study area is family and hired labour which constitute (51%) of the respondents in the study area, family labour (26%), and hired labour account for (23%).. The level of crop production over the years revealed that increased production constitute (35%), decreased (54%), while the same production over the years took the remaining (11%) of respondent in the study area. The study also revealed that the crop production over the years in the study area is decreasing due to outwards movement of able youths in the study area. The study recommend that government should promote and intensified on rural industrialization, banking services in terms of loans and credit scheme, infrastructural facilities should be made available to the rural people, provision of employment and established primary and secondary schools in rural areas to check the outflow of students from rural to urban areas.