Intra-agriculture migrations and their consequence on land and labour markets: An exploratory analysis

Abstract

Migration studies usually concentrate on labour migrations from the low productive agrarian sector to a more productive industrial sector. However, there is another set of migrations that do take place within the agriculture sector, reflecting productivity differences of land and labour resources. This paper studies the short-run consequences of two classes of rural to rural migration (viz. labour and peasant) on the land and labour markets. The consequences of migrations are studied in a structuralist framework while assuming the existence of dualistic structures within agriculture. One economic space/structure (traditional) is identified with surplus labour and the inelastic supply of land, while the other economic space/structure (modern) is identified with active land and labour markets. Labour migrates from the traditional to the modern while the peasant migrates from the modern to the traditional economy. Labour migrations do not change the structure of the economy either at the origin or at the destination but peasant migrants have the potential to activate the land market and change the structure in the destination village.