Rural poverty, migration, and the environment in developing countries : three case studies

The author presents three case studies (of the links between highlands and lowlands in Latin America; transmigration in Indonesia; and migration and desertification in the Sudan) to illustrate the relationship between poverty, internal migration, and environmental change in rural areas of developing countries. Policies to deal with the problems of environmental degradation in areas that are destinations for migrants would usually include: preparation of a detailed national inventory of land and water resources, and a land-use plan to protect biologically important or fragile areas and direct new agricultural settlements elsewhere; coordination of this plan with the construction of roads; better coordination across government agencies in the development and implementation of policies related to land use; reduction of population growth, a driving force behind decisions to migrate; improving land use in traditional areas of settlement, to reduce both overuse and underuse of land; development of a system of land tenure that provides land users with incentives to maintain productivity; environmental education programs (in schools and for farmers) to create a national environmental consciousness and more appreciation for the country's natural assets and beauty; new, appropriate systems of data collection and analysis, to help clarify underlying processes and develop more refined, appropriate; and broad-based macroeconomic policies. These policies will be aimed at improving incomes in rural areas, relative to urban areas - aimed at reduced poverty, environmental degradation, and rural outmigration.