Land Access, Livelihood Diversification and Migration of Rural Youth in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Rural livelihood diversification and youth migration have potential impacts on Sri Lankan agricultural sector. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the impact of land access on rural youths’ choice of livelihood and their choice of migration. A nationally representative sample of rural youth was isolated and a multinomial logit model under random utility framework was estimated to assess the livelihood diversification. A probit model of migration outcome was estimated to assess the rural youth’s choice of migration in lieu of land access. Results revealed that land access is strongly associated with the livelihood choices of agriculture and urban salaried employment of rural youth. Being a female youth makes the choice of livelihood less likely to be in agriculture. Education acts as an upward driver in choosing urban salaried employment while educated youth tend not to choose agriculture. The tendency to migrate reduces with increased access to land. Therefore, land access is a crucial factor for rural youth to choose agricultural livelihoods alongside rural youth not to be migrated.