August 2020, South Asia
Post-Covid revival: Rural growth can reverse migration
Prabhu Pingali & Arabinda K Padhee

Covid-19 and the response to it in India has forced daily wagers and low-wage gig workers in urban slums to return to their villages, orchestrating an unprecedented U-turn in migration trends. Given the yawning gap between urban and rural wages and limited employment opportunities in rural India, we should expect the migrants to return to cities grad. Can this desperate escape from rural areas in search of elusive urban opportunities be reversed or reduced?

Rural-urban migration can be limited if better income-earning opportunities are created in rural areas. Two avenues can make it happen: Increase in returns from small-farm agriculture; and more employment opportunities in the rural non-farm sector.

Rising urban demand for diverse foods can be tapped by smallholders to fuel rural employment growth. Demand for high-quality food is rising, and a small farm’s income growth potential in producing diverse crops is higher than that of primary staples. Also, bringing post-harvest processing and value addition operations closer to food production centres can enhance employment opportunities.