MIGRANT FARMERS' SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS AND PATTERN OF MIGRATION INTO THE RURAL COMMUNITIES OF KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Migration is a critical global issue because of its effect on population distribution and socio-economic development at the point of origin and destination. Migrant farmers play a crucial role in food crop production. This paper examined the migration patterns of farmers from other parts of Nigeria to rural communities of Kwara State, focusing on their purpose, reasons for migration, and the challenges they face in their current rural areas. It utilized a survey data of 825 migrant farmers' heads of households. Descriptive and regression was used for the analysis. The findings revealed that most farmers migrated from Benue State (23%), Sokoto State (10.4%), Borno State (2.9%), with few others from Nigerian states. Key push factors included inadequate farmland, limited economic opportunities, insecurity, conflict, and unemployment in their places of origin. Pull factors at the destination included relative peace, security, availability of arable land, and access to farm inputs, each statistically significant (p-value <0.05). Migrant farmers accessed farmland primarily through rental (29%), borrowing from the community (26.5%), purchase (18.8%), and leasing (16%). Major challenges faced included limited access to loan (25.9%), high cost of farm input (20.8%), herdsmen incursions (15.8%), and poor road infrastructure (12.7%). The paper advocated for policy interventions to support migrant farmers’ contributions to food production, including improved access to loans, subsidized farm inputs, rural road rehabilitation, and re-evaluation of security strategies to protect them.