Migration, Poverty and Livelihood in South Asia: A Review of Literature

Reports suggest that almost two third of the rural population in South Asia is still primarily engaged in agriculture. There has been a trend in all these countries for people to move from rural to urban areas in search of livelihood opportunities and, within rural areas, to move out of agriculturally-based occupations, due to various reasons like growing pressure on natural resources, declining terms of agricultural trade and other broad ranging trends in society. In this context, population movement or mobility has long been represented in academic and policy discourse as the consequence of failure, of environmental disaster, economic exploitation, or political or civil tensions and violence. It has often been perceived to be a cause of problems, like environmental degradation, health problems, political or social instability, and unravelling social fabric and support systems. However, there are arguments that population mobility is an increasingly important livelihood option for rural population. Despite this significance, population mobility has been one of the least researched subjects in South Asia. There has been no systematic study addressing the questions related to population mobility and its relationship to people's livelihoods. Furthermore, a review of literature in wider social science debate shows that the relationship between poverty and migration has been an unsettled issue with divergent and often contrasting perspectives which calls for a growing need to look at interrelationship between these two. There is a clear indication in the literature· that poverty is not necessarily the main cause of migration, and the relationship between poverty and migration is complex and context-driven. At the broader level, this study is important and necessary to contribute to long standing debate on migration, poverty and its relationship to people's livelihoods.