Domestic and international migration, landownership, and rice farming in Cambodia

Abstract

Migration is a dominant survival strategy among rice-farming households in Cambodia. Using Cambodia's Feed the Future data, this paper examines how rice production, sales, and income are associated with domestic and international migration, and how such relationships vary by agricultural land size. The results indicate that withdrawal of household farm labor due to domestic migration is negatively correlated with rice production, especially among households that do not own land. As farmer-owned agricultural land size increases, however, domestic migration becomes positively correlated with rice production, sales, and income. In contrast, international migration exhibits no significant correlation with the outcomes, irrespective of farm size. The findings underscore the critical role of migration destination and land size in shaping rice cultivation, suggesting that policies promoting secure farmland ownership could help counteract the decline in rice production associated with domestic migration.