SOCIO-CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION FROM SODO ZURIA DISTRICT TO SODO TOWN OF WOLAITA ZONE; SOUTHERN NATIONS, NATIONALITIES AND PEOPLES REGION OF ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This study is primarily concerned with examining the socio-cultural and economic factors that contribute to rural-urban migration from Sodo Zuria district to Sodo town of Wolaita Zone. To attain this objective, a cross sectional design was conducted. Both quantitative and qualitative research approach were employed. The quantitative data was collected through questionnaire from 384 migrants. Besides, qualitative data was collected by using four focus group discussions (each contains six members) and nine key informant interviews. Both primary and secondary data were used to collect the data needed for this study. The descriptive statistics like percentages and frequency distributions were used to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data were presented by using narrative analysis. The major findings of this study revealed that rural-urban migration has been contributed by different pushing and pulling factors of socio-cultural and economic factors. The community’s culture, strong social contacts, the flow of inflated information, desire for personal freedom and independence life; problem of accessing food and hunger were the mainly identified socio-cultural factors that greatly influenced the decision of people to leave the rural area. The earning difference in terms of its level and sources; small size of farm land, traditional farming system, soil infertility, and the difference of occupational opportunities were the economic factors behind rural-urban migration. The study also discovered that poor state of infrastructural facilities such as access to education, health, electricity, clean water and adequate road have been pushed most of the people to leave their village. It was suggested that a great effort has to be exerted to make the rural area attractive to live and work in, create effective awareness about the real images of the town, narrow the gaps of income as well as job opportunity differences of the place of origin and destination. Also, creation of mechanized way of farming; raising the community’s knowledge about the importance of family planning and the problems of having a large family size were suggested for a successful minimization of rural-urban migration. In addition, creation of adequate infrastructural facilities in the place of origin was forwarded recommendation based on the major findings