Poverty knows no boundaries! It is transient

1. Rural-urban Migrant Poverty (RUMP) Opportunities for using Infrastructure Development as a poverty alleviation strategy Mthokozisi Sidambe November 2010

2. PURPOSE OF THE PRESENTATION To examine dynamics of rural-urban migrant poverty (RUMP). Identify implications of RUMP and gaps in development policy and practice. Identify further focus areas - for research, debate and policy consideration. Challenge development practitioners to reconsider/formulate poverty alleviation strategies that address RUMP.

3. INTRODUCTION Its been observed that, in extreme conditions, the poor “vote with their feet” – they migrate from rural to urban areas and vice-versa. The link between poverty and rural-urban migration (RUM) is not always clearly articulated or embedded into development strategies. Rural-urban dichotomy disguises the realities of rural-urban migrant poverty = development strategies continue to treat the rural & urban as distinct spaces & ignore the continuum of poverty. SA’s internal rural-urban migration (RUM) takes place within a context of intensifying rural development efforts, shrinking urban-based employment opportunities and poor (urban) service delivery.

4. INTRODUCTION (Cont…) The effect of rural-urban migration on total urban poverty needs thorough examination. Poverty, measured in terms of current income, may not capture current living conditions and the long term poverty of rural migrant households. Issues of rural-urban migration have not been properly treated by/through current development strategies, e.g. urban housing challenges are hardly linked to rural development. On the other hand, lack of a holistic rural development approach continues = rural development biased towards agriculture. Knowledge of rural-urban interface and the extent to which migrant workers currently live under poverty is vital for development and poverty alleviation targeting.

6. Repair services

7. Information on production

9. Production incentives

10. Education and capacity to

11. adopt

13. Private services

14. Public services (health, educ & admin)Rural income and demand For non-agriculture goods And services Agro-based industry Cash crop production And agricultural diversification Non- agro-based Employment All of the Above Source: CSIR 2007; www.csir.co.za

16. Expanded markets

18. Increase in “free riders” = overstretching of services

19. Social and economic vices e.g. crime leading to low investment

21. Road length/ km2

22. Population density

23. Electricity and water provision

24. Dependency ratio

25. Pupil/ teacher ratio

26. Unemployment

27. Poverty gap

28. Etc.High Med-high Medium Med-low Low POVERTY & SPATIAL MOBILITY; SA Source: CSIR 2007; www.csir.co.za

29. Income poverty = result of 3G jobs (disgraceful, dirty, and dangerous). RUMP IMPLICATIONS The mobile Poor More risk If young, single & female Asset poverty = Poor housing, Infrastructure & services Social & Economic marginalisation &/or exclusion Social capital dependency

30. EMERGING CHALLENGES FROM CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PRAXIS Strategies meant to better rural areas usually have the opposite effects, e.g. better education leads to rural out-migration in search of better economic/job opportunities. The effectiveness of current rural and urban development strategies (e.g. ISRDP and URP) in addressing RUMP is doubtful and needs to be addressed. The provision of social infrastructure is only a partial solution Sub-prime LED interventions, e.g. gardening projects, scratch the surface of economic aspirations of the rural poor Rural areas lose the strong, “brightest and most promising” who are relegated to informality in urban areas. The poorest ruralites are the least likely to migrate = resource constraints. The rural-urban continuum of poverty is poorly addressed by policy and in development practice.

31. VIRTUOUS CYCLE OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RURAL-URBAN LINKAGES

32. RURAL REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS: STRUCTURES, FLOWS AND POLICY INTERVENTIONS

33. FURTHER AREAS FOR CONSIDERATION A number of key issues need further examination, viz: Implications of rural-urban migration and counter-urbanisation on land and agrarian reform. The Gender dimensions of RUMP. Provision of robust social infrastructure to meet rural-urban migration and demographic changes. Social and economic capital value and costs of rural-urban migration. The implications/impact of globalisation on RUM Where is Best/Good Practice in addressing RUMP – Can SA follow and adapt the development path of the North?

34. Thank you … Mthokozisi Sidambe Email address: mthokozisi.sidambe@gmail.com Acknowledgements: For the sterling contributions and insight from James Chakwizira, with whom I originally did the research on the presented work in 2008. Email address: jameschakwizira@yahoo.com