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Published on: February 15, 2019
Soil Quality and Human Migration in Kenya and Uganda
1University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 3220, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3220, USA.
Soil quality impacts migration differently in Kenya and Uganda. In Kenya, better soil reduces migration, especially for labor. In Uganda, it slightly increases migration, challenging universal assumptions about environmental migration.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Economics
- Environmental Studies
- Sociology
Background:
- Soil degradation is a major threat to agricultural livelihoods and rural out-migration in developing nations.
- Quantitative studies on the impact of soil characteristics on human migration are scarce.
- Vulnerable households are particularly affected by soil degradation and its social consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of soil quality on population mobility using household-level data.
- To analyze the relationship between soil properties and both temporary and permanent migration.
- To provide empirical evidence on environmentally-induced migration in Kenya and Uganda.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a unique longitudinal survey dataset from Kenya and Uganda.
- Employed random effects multinomial logit models for migration analysis.
- Controlled for various potential confounding factors in the statistical models.
Main Results:
- Soil quality significantly reduced migration in Kenya, especially temporary labor migration.
- Soil quality marginally increased migration in Uganda.
- Findings indicate that environmental conditions do not universally drive migration.
Conclusions:
- The impact of soil quality on migration is context-specific, varying between Kenya and Uganda.
- Adverse environmental conditions do not always lead to increased migration, contrary to common assumptions.
- This research highlights the complex relationship between environmental factors and human mobility.
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