Determinants of rural-urban migration in Duna district, Southern Ethiopia

Rural-urban migration affects development in both the rural and urban areas of Ethiopia, particularly in southern Ethiopia. This has been assumed to be a central continuous issue in Ethiopia's development policy. Despite the good potential of agricultural production in Ethiopia, reducing rural-urban migration is unsatisfactory. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate the determinants of rural-urban migration in southern Ethiopia, evidence from Duna district using cross-sectional field survey data was collected from 187 sample households in 2021/22. Primary and secondary data were collected in this study. Descriptive and binary logistic regression methods were employed for the data analysis. The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that age, educational status, landholding, credit use, soil infertility, access to information, off-farm activity, attitude of rural area and distance to the nearest town were the factors significantly driving rural-urban migration. The results show that rural household food insecurity and poverty at the household level due to lower income could lead to rural-urban migration. Therefore, concerned bodies such as government organizations, non-government organizations, stakeholders and policymakers should pay considerable attention to rural-urban migration, which is a crucial base for driving food security and alleviating poverty. The summary of rural-urban migration by policymakers and plan designers could help alleviate household food insecurity and poverty in the study area. This study investigates the determinants of rural-urban migration in Duna district, Southern Ethiopia. Several households in the Southern Ethiopia support rural-urban migration as a tactic to fight poverty and food insecurity. Migration, particularly in rural-urban, is affected by several factors and influences sending communities positively and negatively. However, this study shows that rural-urban migration is still a challenges Ethiopia in general and particularly in southern Ethiopia. Rural-urban migration, however, contributes to the spread of diseases; socio-culturally undesirable habits produce dysfunctional families and other societal ills. Particularly, to manage rural-urban migration, policymakers need analytical data on the causes and determinants of rural-urban migration. To this end, our study quantifies the issues and offers specific recommendations.