Attention to rural development is one of the most important economic and social measures in countries like Iran; because agriculture has allocated a significant portion of the country’s economy. However, unfortunately, we have always witnessed the continuation of rural migration to cities and the spread of slums. In this article, we will discuss the weakening factors of agricultural growth, reasons for migration, the impact of COVID-19 on agriculture, a global recommendation for sustainable agricultural development, the consequences of urban migration, and slum settlements.

Reasons for rural residents to migrate to the city

Rural migrants often move to cities in order to find better jobs and income, access public and cultural attractions, and have access to recreational facilities. Land scarcity and ownership issues are also among other influential factors.

Nowadays, the advancement of technology and communications has led to a comparison of lifestyles, creation of needs, raising expectations, and ultimately encroachment on rural dwellings. As you know, Iran is located in the semi-arid region of the northern hemisphere and due to its unique position, it does not have a relative advantage in agriculture. Lack of proper understanding by officials and improper planning has weakened the agricultural economy and as a result, rural migration to cities has occurred. Multiple structural issues are involved in this phenomenon, such as: an economy dependent on oil, Iran’s location in the semi-arid region, cities becoming hubs for excess economic activity, and being subject to economic sanctions.

Abolghasem Dadashloo, the representative of East Azerbaijan province in the Supreme Council of Provinces, stated in October 2020 that in examining the situation of villages, it is observed that in recent centuries, with the rapid growth of industry and technology in the world, the backwardness of rural areas has become more apparent. He said: “In our country, as a result of development policies focusing on the industrial and agricultural sectors, traditional and indigenous agriculture in rural areas has unfortunately declined and lost its justification. This has led to a massive migration of villagers to large cities, especially Tehran.” This member of the Supreme Council of Provinces emphasized that in the past, some managers and policymakers were solely focused on developing agriculture in villages. He stated: “Today, the results show that rural development cannot be achieved through this approach. A village is a community with various social, cultural, and economic dimensions and requires comprehensive development.”

The impact of Corona on agriculture:

The opening of the negative effects of the coronavirus on the dimensions of agriculture in the country and its epidemic in the field of food security has had various consequences. According to experts and specialists in the field of agriculture, changes and declines in production, lack of exports, increase in production costs, impact on transportation, and decrease in consumption are among the destructive effects of the coronavirus in the agricultural sector. The decrease in demand for products such as vegetables, fruits, and fresh produce, as well as the decrease in exports of food and agricultural products due to border closures and health quarantines, are other consequences that have resulted in the accumulation and cheaper prices of products. This has led to a decrease in income and production, and loss of customers. Until social interactions and border exchanges return to normal, the agricultural sector will be affected by this crisis, and society must know how to make changes in their consumption patterns and how to adapt their marketing and sales of agricultural products to this crisis. Achieving this requires not

A global recommendation for sustainable rural development.

In 1991, the government of the Netherlands and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a joint statement titled “The Bush Declaration on Action for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development.” According to this statement, there should be a widespread use of renewable resources, control of uncontrolled migration of rural populations to cities, environmental pollution, and problems caused by industrial waste, and the establishment of sustainable production systems. Additionally, the necessary preparations for the eight planned international programs were also outlined in this statement.

The basis of sustainable agricultural and rural development in section 14 of guideline 21 includes the following items:

1. Elaborating and outlining a comprehensive and all-encompassing national policy framework that takes into consideration structural adjustments, subsidies and taxes, laws and regulations, incentives and rewards, technology, foreign trade, population trends, and other influential factors in agriculture.

2. Creating human and institutional capacities, and providing a platform for rural decision-making, along with training them in necessary skills for resource management.

3. Expansion of agricultural techniques such as using green fertilizers, crop rotation, integrated pest management, and integrated plant nutrition to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and plant toxins.

4. “Improving the state of infrastructure matters such as credits, conversion industries, rural services, along with the development of rural industries and other employment areas, including job opportunities outside the farm.”

5. Conservation and rational use of land, water, and genetic resources of animals and plants.

6. Implementation of policies towards renewable energy production, and creating a platform for promoting and encouraging the combined use of fossil and renewable energy sources.

Furthermore, in guideline 21 regarding sustainable development, it was stated that success lies in the participation of rural residents, including women, delegation of necessary authorities to local levels, changing the role of the government in adopting more desirable policies in terms of resource allocation, access to agricultural land, strengthening government agricultural research with an emphasis on indigenous and local knowledge and methods, and the like (taken from the article: “Surveying the opinions of rural residents on the challenges of sustainable rural development; a case study of Saroogh district, Arak city; written by Mohammad Hossein Karim and Abolhasan Hashemi).

The emergence of suburbanization as one of the major consequences of migration to the city.

Marginalization is actually the result of the marginal employment of immigrants, which never allows them to strive for a minimum living in the city. The consequences of marginalization and its impact on public security are as follows:

A. Stability in impoverished areas as a factor for development and reducing public insecurity in impoverished areas.
B. Serious defense of one’s own existence despite weak public security.
C. Sole reliance on government responsibility regarding one’s situation and ignoring one’s own weaknesses.
D. Increasing public security and combating negative consequences of migration, especially among second and later generations.

One of the consequences of migration is the lack of cohesion between marginalized and urban populations, which is the main factor in reducing the sense of public security and increasing social crime. It should also be noted that migrants who lose their jobs often experience negative reactions. They may suffer severe psychological trauma, insomnia, and sometimes turn to addiction. Criminals take advantage of the vulnerability and inexperience of young migrants, luring them into committing crimes through false empathy and fake friendships in job markets, intersections, movie theaters, etc.

The consequences of rural-urban migration

A complex set of social, economic, and political factors influence the phenomenon of rural-urban migration. This process not only affects the size and growth of a society’s population, but also creates noticeable changes in population structure and distribution. Rural-urban migration disrupts the gender balance in both urban and rural areas. In urban areas, an increase in the number of young men is one of the effects of this process. Today, with the reversal of the urban and rural population shares and a significant proportion of urban populations consisting of rural migrants, the importance of rural-urban migration can be understood; that is, the migration of a population that until three decades ago was considered part of the country’s productive population, but now constitutes a large number of individuals engaged in work or in false occupations such as street vending and brokerage.

When different cultures with different customs and norms and different standards come together in one place, and various standards are dominant, as a result, each individual or group behaves according to one type of standard. And when the people around them change, they no longer feel any sense of adherence to principles and standards within themselves, and as a result, chaos and turmoil ensue. The ultimate result is migration from rural areas to cities and from production to service sectors, leading to the growth of anomie issues in society.

In any case, with all the details that have been mentioned, it seems that the government, as the responsible party, should consider more serious measures and prioritize a reverse immigration policy.

(Extracted from the article: “The Consequences of Migration from Villages to Cities on the Sense of Public Security in Khorramabad; Written by: Nasrin Bagheri and Saeed Reza Seyyed Rezaei.”)