Effect of migration on farmers’ income and food security in the Kayes region, Mali

Abstract

In several studies, literature authors have investigated migration. However, discourses on migration are more than just about migration; rather than employed as a factual reference to a particular more or less well-defined social phenomenon (Mueller et al., 2020). However, West Africa’s countries which are more vulnerable to CC has long been characterized by high levels of mobility, a trend that far predates the current configuration of borders established during the colonial era. Mali a country in West Africa is particularly known to be vulnerable due to high climate variability, high reliance on rain-fed agriculture, and limited economic and institutional capacity to respond to CC (Sultan & Gaetani, 2016). This leads Mali be both a country of origin and transit for migrants in the West African region(Sultan & Gaetani, 2016). Some regions of Mali are more affected by migration depending on the different factors. The Kayes region is particularly known for migration patterns both within Africa and to France, some of which date back to the beginning of France’s colonial rule in the late 1800s(REACH, 2020). A region which dominated by the Agriculture, so there is a need is to assess the effect of migration on farmers’ income and food security in that region. A survey has been administrated to 97 households in the Cercle of Kayes: Kayes, Nioro, Diema, Yelimane. It has been established that migration flows, both interregional and international, are explained by the constraints existing in the areas of origin: living conditions, income, and the development potential of these regions. Also, the research found a positive correlation between migration, temperature maximal, and precipitation and the SPEI in Kayes. It is also well seen that, a decrease in the minimal value of SPEI from 2000 to 2020 refers to a severe drought in that period in which the migration rate increased considerably. The impacts of migration in the Kayes region could be positive and negative on both countries’ destination and origin. For a sustainable, the negative impacts dominate the positive ones. In order to decrease the trend of migration in Kayes, the research recommends to (i) conduct information and communication activities that raise awareness of behavior change through local radio communication system(ii) strengthen farmers' land ownership status in Kayes, (iii) economic growth is essential to improve household income, (iv) Promote literacy for women and men.