The Effect of Land Inheritance on Youth Migration and Employment Decisions in Rwanda

Patrick Byishimo, Adane Tufa, Mastewal Yami, Arega D. Alene, Shiferaw Feleke, Tahirou Abdoulaye and Victor Manyong
Additional contact information
Patrick Byishimo: Department of Research, High Lands Centre of Leadership for Development (HLC-L4D), Kigali 20093, Rwanda
Adane Tufa: Chitedze Research Station, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Off-Mchinji Road, Lilongwe 30258, Malawi
Mastewal Yami: Independent Researcher, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 5689, Ethiopia
Arega D. Alene: Chitedze Research Station, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Off-Mchinji Road, Lilongwe 30258, Malawi
Shiferaw Feleke: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Plot No 25 Mikocheni Light Industrial Area, Mwenge-Coca-Cola Road, Mikocheni B, Dar Es Salaam 34441, Tanzania
Tahirou Abdoulaye: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Bamako P.O. Box 320, Mali
Victor Manyong: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Plot No 25 Mikocheni Light Industrial Area, Mwenge-Coca-Cola Road, Mikocheni B, Dar Es Salaam 34441, Tanzania

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-14

Abstract: There is growing mobility of rural youth mainly caused by limited access to land resources and inadequacy of job opportunities. Increased population density coupled with low education rates has increased pressure on natural resources, especially land. This paper assessed the effect of land inheritance on youth migration and employment in Rwanda using the 2010/11 and 2013/14 Integrated Household Living Conditions Surveys (EICVs) data collected from 8160 households by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). In-depth key informant interviews and focus group discussions, at institutional and cooperative levels, were conducted to supplement and support survey results. We used the Hausman test to choose between the fixed-effects and random-effects models. Results show that land inheritance has a negative and statistically significant effect on youth migration and non-agriculture-based employment. This implies that greater access to land through inheritance reduces the likelihood of youth migration and their participation in nonagricultural employment. The paper concludes with implications for policy aimed at creating increased access to land, expanding youth employment opportunities in rural areas, and reducing rural–urban youth migration.

Keywords: access to land; rural youth; youth migration; youth employment; Rwanda (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:9:p:5404-:d:806370

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