Migration, remittances and the Himalaya

Abstract

Labour migration and migrants' remittances are deeply rooted aspects of economic behaviour in the Central Himalaya, so much so that most districts in Nepal and India may be labelled "money-order' economies. The failure of hill agriculture to meet the demands of an increasing population and weak diversification of the hill economy are the principal factors behind labour migration. For families the pattern is of chain migration for when one member retires and returns to the village, his place is taken by a younger member in order that the flow of remittances, on which the household depends, continues. The household is thus part of a dual economy <>9d\ village-based subsistence agriculture supported by remittances from an urban wage sector. Voluntary associations of migrants at the destination help preserve the village community and perpetuate the system. With developments in the wider economic system and continuing domestic pressure on resources, the sustainability of this system is questioned. -from Author