Causes and Effects of Rural-Urban Migration in Ethiopia: A Case Study from Amhara Region

ABSTRACT This article analyses the causes and effects of rural-urban migration in the Amhara Region, one of the nine national regional states of Ethiopia. Data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs) and questionnaires in the main destination towns and rural areas from which migrants predominantly originate. Rural-urban migration in Amhara is a multi-causal process. The study reveals food shortages resulting from landlessness and drought as the principal factor for rural-urban migration. Debt, information flow and exigent cultural conventions are also important factors. The income from migration enables rural households to supplement poor harvests, service debts and diversify their livelihood. Migration, however, contributes to the spread of disease, as well as socio-culturally undesirable habits producing dysfunctional families and other societal ills. Considering migration is a livelihood option for the rural poor, policy objectives should be to support returning migrants rather than manage its adversities.