Abstract:
Rural-urban migration is observed in different countries of the world and in Rwanda as a whole. It causes various problems in the countries, such as the development of slums, a high crime rate, drug abuse, and high unemployment in urban areas, prohibition of culture and the emergence of diseases. This has a particular impact on agricultural production in rural areas: Decline in agricultural production, increase in the price of agricultural production, loss of labor for agriculture and thus poverty, famine, and decline in economic growth. However, during the research, it was found that although the problem of rural migration is the same in both study areas, it is not the same in both studies. In Karama, the level of rural urban migration is higher than in Mukura. This is due to the difference in the degree of urbanization, with Mukura being more urbanized than Karama. In terms of agricultural production, Karama is better developed than Mukura. This article attempted to examine the impact of rural-urban migration on agricultural production using secondary data and primary data collected from Karama and Mukura sectors in Huye district, in southern province of Rwanda. This study found that rural-urban migration is caused by both push and pull factors. Push factors are unemployment, famine and drought in rural areas, loss of wealth, poor social services, leisure time, etc. In addition, there are pull factors such as job opportunities, better living conditions, pleasure, better social services, and security. A research has also shown that agricultural production is affected in different ways, but in general, labor mobility leads to a decline in agricultural production. Many respondents say that if this is not controlled, there will be famine, poverty, etc., because majority of those who are engaged in agriculture are adults, while the youth are fleeing it. The question is who will replace them. The government of Rwanda, as a developing country, is implementing some policies to reduce the number of migrants. These include the creation of second cities, the development of rural areas, and the mobilization of citizens on the impact of rural-urban migration. This will serve as a solution to rural-urban migration, as it is considered an evil of development. A researcher has also made some recommendations, such as cooperation between the government and rural youth, mobilizing people on the impact of rural-urban migration, and providing sufficient infrastructure in rural areas.
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