SEASONAL MIGRATION IN THARPARKAR DISTRICT OF SINDH PROVINCE, PAKISTAN: An In-depth Empirical Analysis

Musharaf A. TALPUR* and Shameem Akhtar MARI**

This study thoroughly investigates the influence of poverty-related characteristics of poor households, such as socioeconomic, livelihood and distance characteristics, on their decision to seasonally migrate from the Tharparkar district of Sindh province to nearby districts where seasonal livelihood and employment opportunities exist in irrigated agriculture. The study was carried out using multi-stage cluster sampling and data was collected through face-toface interviews using a questionnaire. We estimated a binary logit model and subsequently tested hypotheses about the influence of those poverty-related characteristics on poor households’ seasonal migration. Our hypotheses testing results exhibit that poverty among the households, existing in their low household income, indebtedness, child labour, lack of access to drinking water and health services, are the major factors behind seasonal migration. To encounter the adverse effect of poverty on seasonal migration, we suggested several policy measures overall related to food security, water availability and economic opportunities, such as access to interest-free credit, livestock marketing, and promotion of handicrafts.

Keywords:Seasonal Migration, Socio-economic, Livelihood, Distance Characteristics, Binary Logit Model, Poverty