Effects of rural-urban migration on cocoa production in Ife-Ijesha agricultural development zone of Osun State, Nigeria

The study examined the impact of rural-urban drift on cocoa production in Ife-Ijesha Agricultural Development Zone, Osun state, Nigeria. Employing one hundred and twenty cocoa farmers in a three-stage sampling procedure and scheduled interview collected data were analysed using descriptive methods and Pearson's Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). Results revealed that most of the cocoa farmers were male, married with average age, household size, years of formal education, cocoa farm size, and years of experience of 51, 6.19, 7.38, 7.53, and 20.0 respectively. The major effects of rural-urban migration were the high cost of hired labour. Provision of basic amenities such as schools was the major strategy identified while the major constraint to cocoa cultivation was the inadequate credit facilities. The hypothesis testing showed that age (r=0.272, p<0.01) and years of experience in cocoa farming (r=-0.217, p<0.05) were significant and negatively related to the effects of rural-urban migration on cocoa production. The study concluded that the high cost of hired labour was the main effect of rural-urban drift on cocoa cultivation. The study therefore recommends that the government and other relevant stakeholders should provide basic amenities that will encourage youth to stay in rural areas. Keywords: rural-urban, migration, cocoa, rural dwellers, effect, Agricultural Development Zone