Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Migration, Remittance, and Adoption of Conservation Practices

  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Temporary migration and the resulting flow of fund in terms of remittance has been one of the major sources of financing in developing countries. However, little is known about the role of remittance receipt by households on the adoption of environmental-friendly practices in the agricultural production system. We use the three-stage least squares (3-SLS) regression method to analyze the data obtained from face-to-face interview surveys of 338 Nepali households to understand the impact of migration and remittance on the adoption of conservation practices. Our analysis does not show the direct impact of remittance on the number of soil and water conservation practices adoption, but migration has a significant negative effect. Other variables positively affecting the adoption of conservation practices are agriculture as the main source of income, perceived notion that water quality is bad, and better utilization of existing agricultural infrastructures. Income and the perceived notion that productivity quality of soil is bad negatively affect conservation practices adoption. Farm households facing labor shortage resulting from out-migration should be assisted by providing cost-share or incentive payment to adopt readily available, effective, low labor-intensive, and low-cost conservation practices in Nepal or elsewhere in similar remittance-dependent developing countries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Leaving land fallow is very unlikely in our study area, as Nepal faces severe decline in per capita availability of arable agricultural land, resulting in alarmingly high land prices (Massey et al. 2010).

  2. Bhandari (2019) indicates that about 3% of remittance gets diverted to farming practices in Nepal. Kapri and Ghimire (2020) indicate that remittance has a positive effect on agricultural productivity in Nepal.

  3. Small, medium, and large land holding are categorized as 0–0.5 hectares, 0.5–3 hectares, and more than 3 hectares per household, respectively (Sharma 1999). Village Development Committees (VDC) is known as “village council” since 2017.

  4. The age of 12 was selected to capture individuals who would have participated in household production had they lived at home.

References

  • Acemoglu D (2010) When does labor scarcity encourage innovation? J Political Econ 118(6):1037–1078

    Google Scholar 

  • Adams Jr, Richard H, Page J (2005) Do international migration and remittances reduce poverty in developing countries? World Dev 33(10):1645–1669

    Google Scholar 

  • Adefila JO (2012) Spatial assessment of farmers’ cooperative organizations in agricultural development in Gurara Area of Niger State, Nigeria. J Ecol Nat Environ 4(2):51–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Adeola SS, Omolehin RA, Ahmed BEN, Adeniji OB (2011) Socio-economic determinants of insecticides usage in cowpea production in Kaduna State, Nigeria. J Agric Soc Res 11(1):1–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Agrawal A, Gupta K (2005) Decentralization and participation. World Dev 33(7):1101–1114

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahmed Sohel SM, Rayhan SJ (2012) Customers’ attitude towards agro based benefits provided by the telecommunication operators in Bangladesh. Eur J Bus Manag 4(1):70–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Alam R, Akteruzzman M, Hossain MM, Sharmin E (2008) Impact of duck rearing training on technology dissemination and income of women under micro-finance and technical support (MFTS) program of selected area of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Anim Sci 37(1):63–69

    Google Scholar 

  • Amuedo-Dorantes C, Pozo S (2011) Remittances and income smoothing. Am Econ Rev 101:582–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Bansak C, Chezum B (2009) How do remittances affect human capital formation of school-age boys and girls? Am Econ Rev: Pap Proc 99(2):145–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Bettin G, Lucchetti R, Zazzaro A (2012) Endogeneity and sample selection in a model for remittances. J Dev Econ 99:370–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhandari P (2019) Rural households’ allocation of remittance income in agriculture in Nepal. Glob Agric Allied Sci 1(1):1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Carletto C, Covarrubias K, Maluccio JA (2011) Migration and child growth in rural Guatemala. Food Policy 36:16–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Chalise D, Kumar L, Kristiansen P (2019) Land degradation by soil erosion in Nepal: a review. Soil Syst 3(1):12

    Google Scholar 

  • Curran S (2002) Migration, social capital, and the environment: considering migrant selectivity and networks in relation to coastal ecosystems. Popul Dev Rev 28:89–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Ebojei CO, Ayinde TB, Akogwu GO (2012) Socio-economic factors influencing the adoption of hybrid maize in Giwa local government area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. J Agric Sci 7(1):23–32

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2008) What is conservation agriculture. In: Conservation agriculture website of FAO. http://www.fao.org/ag/ca/1a.html

  • FAO (2012) CA Adoption Worldwide. In: Conservation agriculture website of FAO. http://www.fao.org/ag/ca/6c.html

  • Feder G, Richard E, Just, Zilberman D (1985) Adoption of agricultural innovations in developing countries: a survey. Econ Dev Cult Change 33(2):255–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Firdaus G, Ahmad A (2010) Exploring diversity among farmers in adoption of agricultural innovation and options for smallholder farming system-a case study of Ambedkarnager District of UP. Int Res J Appl Basic Sci 1(1):25–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost P, Bruce C, Luckert M, Mutamba M, Mandondo A, Kozanayi W (2007) In search of improved rural livelihoods in semi-arid regions through local management of natural resources: lessons from case studies in Zimbabwe. World Dev 35(11):1961–1974

    Google Scholar 

  • Gartaula H, Niehof A, Visser L (2012) Shifting perceptions of food security and land in the context of labour out-migration in rural Nepal. Food Secur 4:181–194

    Google Scholar 

  • Grigorian DA, Tigran AM (2011) Destined to receive: the impact of remittance on household decisions in Armenia. Rev Dev Econ 15(1):139–153

    Google Scholar 

  • Government of Nepal, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (2008) Nepal Thematic Assessment Report: Land Degradation. Kathmandu, Nepal

  • Hardin G (1968) The tragedy of the commons. Science 162(3859):1243–1248

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Joshi A, Surendra R, Shrestha L, Joshi K (2003) Environmental management and sustainable development at the crossroad. Ankus Publisher, Kathmandu, Nepal

  • Kagoya S, Paudel KP, Daniel N (2018) Awareness and adoption of soil and water conservation technologies in a developing country: a case of Nabajuzi Watershed in Central Uganda. Environ Manag 61:188–196

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapri K, Ghimire S (2020) Migration, remittance, and agricultural productivity: Evidence from the Nepal Living Standard Survey. World Dev Perspect 25:100198

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim SA, Gillespie J, Paudel KP (2005) The effect of socioeconomic factors on the adoption of best management practices in beef cattle production. J Soil Water Conserv 60:111–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolawole A, Oladele OI, Alarima CI, Wakatsuki T (2012) Farmers’ perception of Sawah rice production technology in Nigeria. J Human Ecol 37(1):13–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Lai C, Chan C, Halbrendt J, Shariq L, Roul P, Idol T, Ray C, Evensen C (2012) Comparative economic and gender, labor analysis of conservation agriculture practices in tribal villages in India. Int Food Agribus Manag Rev 15(1):73–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Lez-Vega CG, Rodriguez-Meza J, Southgate D, Maldonado JH (2004) Poverty, structural transformation, and land use in El Salvador: learning from household panel data. Am J Agric Econ 86(5):1367–1374

    Google Scholar 

  • Lokshin M, Bontch-Osmolovski M, Glinskaya E (2010) Work-related migration and poverty reduction in Nepal. Rev Dev Econ 14(2):323–332

    Google Scholar 

  • Maharjan A, Bauer S, Knerr B (2012) International migration, remittances and subsistence farming: evidence from Nepal. Int Migr IOM ISSN 0020-7985.

  • Manandhar GB, Adhikary SK, Sah G (2009) Sustainable agricultural practices and technologies in Nepal. Tech Monitor: 29–37. Accessed on 8 Jan 2020. Website: http://www.techmonitor.net/tm/images/3/30/09jan_feb_sf3.pdf

  • Massey DS, William GA, Dirgha JG (2010) Environmental change and out-migration: evidence from Nepal. Popul Environ 32(2):109–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Mendola M (2007) Farm household production theories: a review of “institutional” and “behavioral” responses. Asian Dev Rev 24(1):49–468

    Google Scholar 

  • Mgbenka RN, Ozor N, Igbokwe EM, Felix E (2012) Soil and water conservation capabilities among farmers and extension agents in eastern region of Nigeria. Afr J Agric Res 7(1):58–67

    Google Scholar 

  • Nepal FY 2011–2015 Multi-year strategy. http://www.feedthefuture.gov/sites/default/files/country/strategies/files/NepalFTFMulti-YearStrategy.pdf

  • Okafor BN, Fabiyi A (2011) Application of soil information in Nigerian agriculture: a case study of some horticultural farms in Ibadan, Oyo State. Cont J Agric Sci 5(2):31–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Paudel KP, Lohr L, Martin Jr. NR (1998) Optimal input cost sharing for tenants: implications for negotiating efficiency. Agric Syst 57:1–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Paudel KP, Lohr L, Martin Jr. NR (2000) Effect of risk perspective on fertilizer choice by Sharecroppers. Agric Syst 66:115–128

    Google Scholar 

  • Pokhrel BK, Paudel KP (2019) Assessing the efficiency of alternative best management practices to reduce nonpoint source pollution in a rural watershed located in Louisiana. USA Water 11:1714

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Quinn MA (2009) Estimating the impact of migration and remittance on agricultural technology. J Dev Areas 43(10):199–216

    Google Scholar 

  • Regmi M, Paudel KP (2017) Food security in a remittance based economy. Food Secur 9(4):831–848

    Google Scholar 

  • Regmi M, Paudel KP, Bhattarai K (2020) Migration decisions and destination choices. J Asia Pac Econ 25(2):197–226

    Google Scholar 

  • Rozelle S, Taylor JE, deBrauw A (1999) Migration, remittances, and agricultural productivity in China. Am Econ Rev 89:287–291

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma M (1999) Land tenure and poverty in Nepal. Accessed on 8 Jan 2020. Website: http://www.rrojasdatabank.info/wpover/sharma.pdf

  • Stark O, David EB (1985) The new economics of labor migration. Am Econ Rev 75:173–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Stark O, Lucas RE (1988) Migration, remittances, and the family. Econ Dev Cult Change 36(3):465–481

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor JE (1987) Undocumented Mexico-U.S. Migration and the returns to households in rural Mexico. Am J Agricu Econ 69(3):626–638

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor JE, Martin PL (2001) Human capital: migration and rural population change. In Bruce Gardner and Gordan Rausser, eds. Handbook of agricultural economics. Elsevier, New York

  • Thieme S, Wyss S (2005) Migration Patterns and Remittance Transfer in Nepal: a case study of Sainik Basti in Western Nepal. Int Migr 43(5):59–98

    Google Scholar 

  • Uddin K, Matin MA, Maharjan S (2018) Assessment of land cover change and its impact on changes in soil erosion risk in Nepal. Sustainability 10(12):4715

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagle UR (2010) Economic inequality in Nepal: patterns and changes during the late 1990s and Early 2000s. J Int Dev 22:573–590

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams N (2009) Education, gender, and migration in thecontext of social change. Social Sci Res 38:883–896

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank. 2020. Personal remittances, received (% of GDP). Accessed from the web on 4/14/2020. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS

  • World Bank. 2019. Poverty and Equity Brief: South Asia, Nepal. Accessed from the web on 4/14/2020. https://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/poverty/33EF03BB-9722-4AE2-ABC7-AA2972D68AFE/Archives-2019/Global_POVEQ_NPL.pdf

  • Yang D (2011) Migrant remittances. J Econ Pers 25(Summer):129–152

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to two anonymous reviewers and the editor of this journal Dr Bram Noble for helpful comments, which improved the quality of the paper. Paudel’s time on this paper was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants #94382 and #94483. Senior authorship is equally shared by two authors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Louisiana State University (LSU) and LSU Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

    Deborah Williams & Krishna P. Paudel

Authors
  1. Deborah Williams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Krishna P. Paudel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Krishna P. Paudel.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Williams, D., Paudel, K.P. Migration, Remittance, and Adoption of Conservation Practices. Environmental Management 66, 1072–1084 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-020-01362-w

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-020-01362-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation