Author(s): Olawuyi, Seyi O.
The economic activity in the rural locale principally focuses on the exploitation and utilization of land resources for the production of arable and cash crops. However to date, production, and supply of food fall short of the demand requirements for the growing population in developing countries which has been partly attributed to the migration effect and the impact of climate extreme related events. This presents a complex issue surrounding the movement from rural to urban areas, and hitherto, agri-food sector transformation call. The most important point of call on rural-urban migration is grounded in the persistent disparity and gap in the allocation of social and economic resources across rural and urban communities. This paper, therefore, presents a discourse on the challenges facing agrarian development in relation to migration situation in Africa using in-depth historical review research design (historiography) to advance an adequate understanding of the current situation using past background knowledge. The study contributes to the empirical literature on rural-urban migration effect on the agrarian sector in sub-Saharan Africa, and to fill the existing gap on what the current situation is, and seeks to inform research and rural development policy experts to urgently address rural-urban drift in the context of African agricultural transformation towards promoting economic inclusion and empowerment. Importantly, it is very appropriate to create conditions for vulnerable agrarian people and communities to thrive and live with dignity, failure to do this will likely trigger conflict, instability, hunger, poverty, and forced migration; hence, the need to break the cycle between conflict, hunger, poverty, and migration in rural areas to achieving agrarian development and transformation in sub-Saharan Africa becomes very important and urgent. The study recommends various nations in Africa to put up sound and feasible policies that will discourage the growing circular and seasonal migration between places, to avoid prediction of negative spill-over effect on the economy of origin and destination countries.