Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of International Development |
| Early online date | 29 Sept 2024 |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 29 Sept 2024 |
Abstract
Rural labour out-migration has become a major contributor to off-farm income through remittances and plays a crucial role in supporting the livelihoods of rural households in developing economies. However, research on the simultaneous on-farm and off-farm impacts of labour migration is still lacking. This study assesses the impacts of household labour migration on wheat productivity, labour and total costs, profitability and off-farm income among smallholder wheat growers in Nepal. We use endogenous switching regression and two-stage least squares regression models to control for potential endogeneity. The findings reveal that labour migration boosts off-farm income due to remittances but negatively affects wheat productivity and profitability due to labour shortages. In addition, heterogeneous effects are observed, with large farms, cooperative membership, use of farm mechanization and non-marginalized castes recording positive impacts. The study suggests that social institutions, such as cooperatives, and farm mechanization can create synergies between labour migration and agricultural productivity in Nepal.
Keywords
- agricultural productivity, labour shortage, migration, off-farm income, remittances
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Social Sciences(all)
- Development
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Journal of International Development, 29.09.2024.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Trade-offs between labour migration and agricultural productivity
T2 - Evidence from smallholder wheat systems in Nepal
AU - Paudel, Gokul P.
AU - Nguyen, Trung Thanh
AU - Grote, Ulrike
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of International Development published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2024/9/29
Y1 - 2024/9/29
N2 - Rural labour out-migration has become a major contributor to off-farm income through remittances and plays a crucial role in supporting the livelihoods of rural households in developing economies. However, research on the simultaneous on-farm and off-farm impacts of labour migration is still lacking. This study assesses the impacts of household labour migration on wheat productivity, labour and total costs, profitability and off-farm income among smallholder wheat growers in Nepal. We use endogenous switching regression and two-stage least squares regression models to control for potential endogeneity. The findings reveal that labour migration boosts off-farm income due to remittances but negatively affects wheat productivity and profitability due to labour shortages. In addition, heterogeneous effects are observed, with large farms, cooperative membership, use of farm mechanization and non-marginalized castes recording positive impacts. The study suggests that social institutions, such as cooperatives, and farm mechanization can create synergies between labour migration and agricultural productivity in Nepal.
AB - Rural labour out-migration has become a major contributor to off-farm income through remittances and plays a crucial role in supporting the livelihoods of rural households in developing economies. However, research on the simultaneous on-farm and off-farm impacts of labour migration is still lacking. This study assesses the impacts of household labour migration on wheat productivity, labour and total costs, profitability and off-farm income among smallholder wheat growers in Nepal. We use endogenous switching regression and two-stage least squares regression models to control for potential endogeneity. The findings reveal that labour migration boosts off-farm income due to remittances but negatively affects wheat productivity and profitability due to labour shortages. In addition, heterogeneous effects are observed, with large farms, cooperative membership, use of farm mechanization and non-marginalized castes recording positive impacts. The study suggests that social institutions, such as cooperatives, and farm mechanization can create synergies between labour migration and agricultural productivity in Nepal.
KW - agricultural productivity
KW - labour shortage
KW - migration
KW - off-farm income
KW - remittances
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205325170&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/jid.3959
DO - 10.1002/jid.3959
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85205325170
JO - Journal of International Development
JF - Journal of International Development
SN - 0954-1748
ER -